Constellation
by HappyCranberry
Summary: Renesmee Cullen is 16 and starting high school for the first time. But the Cullens' quiet forever is complicated by the romantic tension between Nessie and Jacob, and a sinister puzzle with implications for the entire vampire world. Breaking Dawn sequel
1. Indestructible

**Title: **Constellation

**Summary:** Renesmee Cullen is sixteen years old, and starting high school for the first time in Rochester, New York. The Cullens (plus their favorite werewolf) have moved away from Forks. But their quiet forever after is complicated by the rising romantic tension between Nessie and Jacob, and a sinister puzzle that could have implications for the entire vampire world.

Canon-compliant sequel to Breaking Dawn.

**Author Notes:** This is my version of what happens next to the Twilight characters. The themes and plot are taking off from the sci-fi-ish theme that SMeyer seemed to have going a little bit in the last book, but there's lots of Cullen family dynamics, too.

**Rating:** T

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

_Prologue_

The creature had caught up with me. I call him a creature because he was not human. Humans have compassion and rationality. This thing had neither.

It was all my fault, really. I'd brought this upon myself. The only painful thing about it was the devastation it would cause my family. I'd been irresponsible with myself and now they would suffer the most by surviving my death. They would live forever remembering me. Their cold lives would go on without me, their warm one. As for my most beloved… I was quite sure that _he _wouldn't go on living at all.

So I was responsible for two deaths, not just one. That's what happens when you're one half of a whole.

I clenched my hands into fists, and the only sound in the world was the whisper of sandy footsteps as the creature moved toward me… each step closer to my death.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_Indestructible_

I was terrified to start high school.

As I stared into my fogged-up bathroom mirror, I felt like I was gazing into my future, clouded and unsure. The life I'd known for sixteen years was left behind, and I was facing the real world for the first time.

It was silly. There was no reason to be nervous and yet my stomach did a somersault every time I thought about tomorrow. I had nothing to fear physically: I was immortal. I was beautiful. I had a family that adored me. Every day was filled with fairy-tale wonder. My days were made of sparkling creatures, hunting, best friend shapeshifters, jumping across lakes and playing baseball with boulders.

Yet, that perfection felt like a burden on me. I knew I was blessed, and I'd seen enough teen movies to know that perfection was resented by everybody else.

Would they like me?

Would I fit in?

Questions I'd never had to ask before. Not until we moved from Forks, Washington, the only home I'd ever had.

I made a face at myself and continued braiding my wet hair. It would dry while I slept and I would wake up with crinkled hair, which was all the fashion. I hoped it would help me blend in, make me look like any teenager trying to conform to the other teenagers, who were also trying to conform. It was more than fitting in, it was survival. For a family like mine, standing out too much could be a fatal mistake.

I thought about what Aunt Rosalie had said – that girls my age hated other girls, especially beautiful ones. Rosalie would know all about that.

"Bleh," I muttered, tying off the pigtail braid. My hair was dark when wet; once dry it would be a noticeable bronze, like my father's.

_Brother,_ I tried to remind myself of his alias. _My "brother" Edward Cullen_. It felt weird to think of Dad as Edward. Disrespectful, somehow.

"Ready?" Aunt Alice poked her head in the bathroom door. "I've got clothing options all laid out for tomorrow!"

"Yep, thanks!" I said as cheerily as I could. At least I wouldn't have to think about my wardrobe.

"Ness!" I heard my mom call me from downstairs. From the echo and direction, and the way her words were muffled by thick curtains, I could tell she was in the music room.

"Coming!" I twisted my braids into loops, like Princess Leia, and giggled at myself I skipped downstairs.

When she saw me, Mom giggled at me, too. "If you're Leia, and he's your brother," she said, pointing at Dad, who was playing the piano, "does that make him Luke Skywalker?"

Dad bridged the song into the Star Wars theme.

Our music room had a grand piano, a huge stereo system, and a small wood parquet floor for dancing. They built Victorian houses that way, from back in the days when piano-playing was one of the few forms of home entertainment. My mother (_Bella_, I reminded myself to call her) lounged on the velvet chaise in jeans and a t-shirt, her elbow propping up her head, as she listened to my father play. A soft lamp made her skin glow rosy-pale. My parents' eyes were a well-fed bright gold; we'd had a family hunting trip yesterday.

The music room was the only darkly elegant room in the house. The rest was lightly elegant, decorated in Cullen style, with pale furniture and white walls and big wide windows. It was set back on thirty acres in the thick woods outside Rochester, New York. It had been in the family for a hundred years. This was the house where Rosalie first woke up as a vampire. It was a twelve-bedroom mansion, painted white with dark brown trim and blue accents, and frothy wooden carvings on the porch, a stained glass window on the stairs, and a tower.

The tower bedroom was mine, and I loved it. Since I was the only one of us with hair that could grow, I got the Rapunzel room.

Well, Jacob's hair could grow, too, but he didn't live with us.

Sighing as I thought of Jacob Black, my best friend in the world, I turned to Bella. "What is it, Mom?"

"Just wanted to make sure you're all ready for tomorrow," she said. "It's my first time back at high school, too, so we can be nervous together."

My dad – I mean, Edward – laughed softly. "Bella, I can't imagine why you'd be nervous. You have control to rival Carlisle, and you're beautiful and sweet and everyone will love you. Oh, and you too, Nessie."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks."

Grinning at me, he shifted the music into something new. It had a perky, autumn-y tempo that I found annoying. Sometimes Edward was too good a musician, the way he picked up on the exact feeling of a thing through music.

The song he'd composed for Jacob was particularly… eloquent. He'd somehow coaxed "disapproving" out of the piano keys.

"Okay, well, I'm going to bed," I said.

"Good night, honey!" said Bella, speaking to me but gazing at Edward.

"Night…" I trailed off, leaving them to their sleepless love-fest.

"It'll go fine, I think," Alice whispered to me on my way up the stairs. She still couldn't see Jacob or me in her visions, but she'd gotten pretty good at anticipating our futures by seeing the reactions of those around us.

"Thanks," I said back, and she winked at me.

I'd changed into my new pink silk pajamas – I always had new clothes, thanks to my doting relatives – when my phone beeped. I glanced at the paper-thin screen that told me I had one new text message.

_Jake_.

For the first time in my life, my stomach did a little flip when I saw his name. My fingers were a little too eager as I pressed the key to open his message. It said, "_See you at school tomorrow, Rapunzel_."

I grinned. Jake might not live with us, but he was close by. He'd been declared "legally independent" and was also "age seventeen" according to the state of New York, and he rented a room in a boarding house in town. We Cullens could get away with being related to each other, but Jake's six-foot-five, obviously American Indian self would be a stretch, even for us.

My grin faded as I thought about Jacob. He was my other half, my best friend in the world… he'd always been there for me, whatever I needed. Teaching me how to tie my shoes. Buying me ice cream. Building elaborate sand castles on First Beach. A firm part of our tranquil family life.

So it didn't make sense that I felt a twinge of anxiety at the thought of seeing him tomorrow. It didn't make sense that he wasn't here with me right now. It was like some invisible force had come between us…

Jacob would be starting school with me as a junior. Maybe that was why I was freaked out: not seeing Jake, but the rest of my family all at the same time. _This is going to be so weird_. Jake, me, both my parents, and Alice in the same grade. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie as seniors. Carlisle working as a doctor. Esme restoring a decrepit old house on a hill, abandoned since the nineteen-fifties. It was, my mother said, almost like when she'd met my father, almost twenty years ago now.

"Ugh," I groaned, flopping down onto my bed and switching off the light. I was suddenly tired as I thought about Jake and my dad, sitting in homeroom together. No matter what Alice said, tomorrow was going to be awkward.

* * *

"Rose, your hair's fine, let's go!" Emmett bellowed. "We're going to be late."

"It's not my hair, it's Nessie's!" Rosalie shouted back. She was with me in my bathroom, tweaking my hairstyle, a fond smile on her face. "I'm glad you're with us this time. I graduated from Brighton High School, you know, back in 1936. As a human." A shadow passed across her flawless face.

I got it. Unpleasant memories. "Things are a lot different now, huh?"

"That's for sure. For one thing, we didn't have mongrels posing as students back in the thirties… Sorry," she said half-heartedly, a tiny smirk on her face.

"Tease me all you like," I said, grabbing my bag and flouncing out the door, my red hair flying out behind me like a crinkled sheet. "But love me, love my dog!"

We raced down the stairs and out the front door, where my dad – I mean, Edward – waited in the silver Volvo for Emmett to get in. The boys were taking Edward's car, a brand-new model but the same color silver as always.

We girls would be taking Rosalie's candy-red BMW M3. In Forks, we'd had to be inconspicuous; in Rochester, there were plenty of other rich families, fancy cars on the road, and we wouldn't stand out as much.

The sky above us was deep in clouds – a perfect first day. Rochester had at least two hundred days of cloud cover annually, the main requirement for our family.

Rosalie dropped into the driver's seat of the open convertible. I settled in the backseat with my mom – I mean, Bella – who turned to me and said, "Buckle your seat belt."

"Mom! I'm as indestructible as you are."

Lips pursed, she conceded the point. Besides, overprotective behavior was more my father's specialty.

"Call her Bella," Rosalie reminded me as she closed the top to preserve our hair. She revved the engine. "Race us, Edward!"

"No reckless driving!" Bella said, more to Edward than to Rosalie. He could hear her through our thoughts. "Fitting in, remember?"

Rosalie drove a tad fast, but within ten of the speed limit.

When we arrived at the school, I gulped audibly. Brighton High School looked like every teen movie I'd ever seen. Imposing brick walls, great lawn in front, flagpole, stairs leading up to a triple front door, a big statue on the roof. Students were converging in a stream toward the doors, the boys swaggering, the girls fidgeting with their first-day-of-school outfits.

I just _knew_ there would be a clique of mean, popular girls, and my fast heart kicked into overdrive.

When I got out of the car, I couldn't help fussing with my skirt, making sure it was straight. I was not as tall as Rosalie, but taller than Bella. Way taller than Alice. The weather was cool beneath the clouds, and so I wore black diamond tights beneath a denim skirt, slouchy suede boots, and a thin oyster-grey sweater. It was neutral and hopefully unassuming, except that the denim skirt was Galliano and the boots from Joan and David and the sweater from Barney's.

Having New York City so close (at our driving speed) meant a fashion smorgasbord for Alice.

I'd let Alice choose my clothes, but my earrings were my own: antique microchips on silver posts. My nails were painted midnight blue. On my wrist I wore the intricate bracelet from Jake that I'd worn since I was a baby. He'd always been my friend, my Jacob, and now my eyes scanned the crowd for him. I hoped we had lots of classes together.

My fingers ghosted around Bella's wrist, wondering.

"I don't smell him yet," she said, smiling at me. "Maybe he's running late, too."

I pulled out a lip gloss, touching up my lips. There were some very pretty girls at this school. I saw a pack of them walking together, all sassy postures and flipping hair and shirts tucked into wide, colorful leather belts. So fashionable. I noticed Alice's eagle gaze admiring one of their handbags.

"Excellent," she said, "we'll fit in nicely here."

I thought, _Not so excellent_. Girls seemed to flirt with Jacob wherever we went, and for some reason, this bothered me. I hoped I wasn't like Rosalie, upset whenever I wasn't the center of everyone's attention.

Taking a deep breath, smelling the rich medley of human and cut grass and just-turning tree leaves and the familiar perfume of Bella, Alice, and Rosalie, I squared my shoulders and started walking.

I wondered if it wouldn't be more comfortable walking alone. People were staring at us, boys especially, and at Rosalie especially. Also, this was my first day at high school… in fact, at _any_ school… and I had to go with my _mom_. I hoped she didn't embarrass me by fawning over my dad too much.

That was the only difficult thing about being the unwed Cullen. I had to tolerate everyone else's lovey-dovey moments. Rose and Emmett, and my parents, were the absolute worst.

_Where_ was Jacob?

Sighing as I ascended the front steps, I remembered that this was a big high school, over two thousand students, in an actual city. It wasn't like tiny Forks where I knew everyone and their entire families.

I was inside, and I stopped in my tracks.

People everywhere. I was overwhelmed. The halls were packed with moving bodies, and the smell of hair products and cologne and new clothes and old backpacks. The nervous, young blood pulsing beneath skin made my mouth water. I felt suddenly sorry for Jasper, appreciating now the difficulty he must face in going to school like the rest of us. This was a vampire buffet.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked Bella, who looked a bit overwhelmed herself.

"Ugh, school," she said.

"We go to our homeroom," Alice said, handing us our schedules. They'd been mailed to the house a couple weeks ago, while we were still unpacking. I saw that I had Chemistry first, Room 12, with a teacher called Morris. Great, a roomful of chemical fumes to greet me every morning.

"I have Chem with you," said Alice, pointing. "Come on, I know just where it is!"

She linked arms with me and I waved feebly back at Bella and Rosalie. They were soon lost in the swarm of students.

"Chemistry's important," Alice was saying. "Especially when it comes to dying clothes. And hair." She eyed my head. "Oh, don't worry! We could never improve on your gorgeous color. Besides, there's such risk with red hair that it might turn green. That's a tricky base shade."

I took her word for it.

"Room 12," said Alice, pushing the door open to a room with glistening countertops and shining equipment. Brighton was one of the best public schools in the nation, and well-funded. My grandfather Carlisle had been hopeful that I might be challenged here. I didn't see it, personally; I'd been tutored in every subject by veritable experts, my family combined. But whatever makes us normal, I guess.

A pair of boys started whispering as soon as we walked in the room. "Hot damn," one of them said. "I'd like to tap that," said the other. I couldn't tell which one of us they were discussing, or both of us. I blushed and followed Alice to a seat at the back of the room.

Beside me, Alice got the familiar look of concentration that meant she was peering into the future. Watching out for Jasper, most likely.

All the seats were filled and a middle-aged man walked in the room – our teacher, Mr. Morris. He activated the wide screen-board at the front of the classroom and it glowed blue for a minute, and then the logo of BHS flipped across the screen. A perky girl with blond hair sat at a studio table and said, "Welcome to the new year at Brighton High School!"

I knew what this was. Morning announcements. Yawning, I reached into my handbag to make sure my phone was on silent. Then, seeing that the teacher was occupied with his computer at the front, my lightning-fast fingers texted Jake. "_Where are you_?"

Two minutes later, the screen flashed. "_Lost_."

I whispered to Alice. "Jake's lost."

She snickered.

"_Lost where_?" I wrote back.

"_In the hallways. Where the hell is Room 13_?"

"_I'm in Room 12! Left hallway from the front door, and then first right hall, almost the end._"

"_Thx_."

"_Noob," _I wrote back.

A few seconds later I heard his familiar footsteps approaching at a jog down the hallway, and then the door to the next classroom opened. The squeak of the door was the very sound of embarrassment. I nudged Alice and nodded meaningfully, and we both snickered this time. I pictured him late for his first class and touched Alice's wrist with the mental image. I wouldn't have given Edward or Rosalie this kind of ammunition, but Jake and Alice were on great terms.

The announcements ended and then I learned what high school was really about: boredom. The teacher droned on about syllabi and lab work. The spotty-faced kid across the aisle from me was picking his nose, and the two girls in front of us were already passing notes back and forth.

I was reminded of what Jasper always said about combat: long periods of excruciating dullness punctuated by a few moments of extreme terror. I passed the thought to Alice and she grinned in agreement.

"That was fun," I said to Alice on my way out the door. "Not."

"Welcome to high school!" she chirped.

I left Alice and joined up with my parents – I mean, Edward and Bella – for my next two classes, History and English. That was fine; Edward knew all about history, and Bella knew all about literature. She'd even been talking about writing something of her own, under a pen name, of course.

Then, lunch.

On the way, I ducked into a bathroom to check my hair. I wanted to look my best when I walked into that lunchroom. The entire student body of my new school would be anxious to judge the new kids. I wanted to look good. And I told myself it had nothing to do with the fact I'd be seeing Jake… provided he didn't get lost on the way.

My hair's stylish crinkles had relaxed into mere glossy waves, I noted with disappointment. At least the rest of me was all right… chocolate-colored eyes, a healthy flush on my cheeks, long eyelashes and full lips.

Then I noticed the pair of girls staring at me.

They were "popular". I knew what that was from films. I'd never encountered popular girls in real life, however, and I turned to them with some fascination. "Hi," I said.

They stared back at me. One had blond hair, and the other was dark. They wore an identical shade of pink lip gloss, and both wore earrings of solid gold – a way of bragging about their wealth. After the end of the Second Depression ten years ago, the dollar was put on a gold standard, and gold jewelry was like wearing a hat made of dollar bills. I suddenly felt a little shabby with my neutral clothes and homemade microchip earrings.

I noticed how the other girls in the bathroom gave these two wide berth, never getting in their way. The blond girl was clutching a cell phone decorated with charms and her nails were perfectly manicured, painted a shining pink.

The silence had grown awkward and I looked down, ready to leave. _Looking down is a sign of weakness_, I thought, too late, thinking of the wild animal behavior I was so accustomed to reading on our family hunts.

"What's your name?" asked the dark girl, a tone of ownership in her voice.

I looked back up. "Renesmee. It's nice to meet you."

"Renes-muh-what?" Her lip curled, as though sensing a vulnerability. "What kind of name is that?"

The blonde giggled.

I waited for her to give me her name in return, but she didn't. Instead the two girls linked arms and, tilting their noses forward, walked out. Gulping, I shoved the strap of my bag onto my shoulder and pushed toward the door.

"Peyton and Abby," said a voice to my right, belonging to a girl with brown hair and small features. "Those two girls. They're like… the most popular girls in school."

"Oh," I said.

"Peyton's the dark one, Abby's the blonde. They've been best friends since third grade." She sighed as if she envied them.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Megan."

"Hi, Megan. I'm Nessie." I decided to avoid another mispronunciation.

"Hey," Megan said, looking shy all at once. "Uh, see you around." She scurried ahead of me toward the cafeteria.

Just then, I was glad that I had my entire family waiting for me. I felt freakish – not because I was half-vampire, but because I didn't understand how I was supposed to act. Normal people were difficult to make friends with.

I followed the unappetizing aromas of cafeteria food to their source, a large room supported by fat pillars. Large round tables were scattered around with pale green mesh chairs. A wall of windows oozed grey light from outside.

It was my nose, not my eyes, that detected his presence: that familiar scent of woods, of fur, of musk, of _male_. I turned around and he was there, looking at me. I broke into a helpless grin as Jacob crossed the room. Any thoughts of awkwardness melted away. I must have imagined it.

"Hey, you," Jake said, reaching his big hands out to grasp mine.

"Hi!" I laughed at his outfit and reminded myself to speak aloud in public. One-sided conversations looked strange to humans. "You playing a bad boy?"

Jake wore a leather jacket over a white t-shirt, with jeans and boots. His glossy dark hair was cropped in a messy short cut. "How about Danny Zuko?"

"That fits," I said. _Grease _was one of my favorite movies. "But blond Sandy would have to be… Rosalie!"

"Please, no!" Jake said, clapping a hand to his broad chest and looking horrified.

"All you need is some cigarettes to complete the look," I said. Cigarettes had been outlawed five years ago.

"Yeah, right! Even if I could find some, your dad would murder me. He'd love the excuse."

"He would never, because then _I_ would murder _him_." I laughed, nodding at the table where the rest of my family now gathered. "Let's get some lunch."

"Finally, I'm starving."

"Why don't you start coming over more? I bet you didn't eat breakfast."

"Esme does make some mean Belgian waffles," said Jake wistfully.

"That's right." Any reason for Jake to be around was good for me. Ever since we moved from Forks over the summer, he'd been sort of distant, but I chalked it up to the stress of moving. It was the first time he'd been away from his pack for an extended period of time and I knew how hard it was.

What Jake felt, I felt, and vice versa. And right now, as we went through the lunch line together, I felt complete, like a puzzle solved.

"We've gotta compare schedules," he said. "I didn't pick mine up until this morning."

"Lazy," I teased.

Jake loaded his tray with a large basket of fries, two hamburgers, an Eskimo sandwich, a large bottle of juice (soda had been outlawed from schools years ago), a banana, and a piece of apple pie.

I chose a can of tomato juice. I still felt sloshy from the buck deer I'd taken down yesterday. A small glass of juice I could handle; a full human meal I could not.

As we paid for our lunches by swiping our cash cards, I noticed several other girls with choices similar to mine. Rosalie had also said that many high school girls ate next to nothing, trying to stay thin.

Buoyant now with Jake beside me, I waltzed across the room to where my family was already pretending to eat.

"Hey, Nessie! How's the first day? You two made out in a closet yet?" Emmett nodded between Jake and me, waggling his eyebrows.

"Emmett…" Edward growled.

I blushed. Strangely, so did Jake. Normally he joined in Emmett's teasing of me.

Bella placed her hand on Edward's shoulder and looked at me apologetically. Her touch made Edward smile down at her. Rosalie was primping, hand mirror open. Jasper was looking uncomfortable around all these humans, and Alice had her chin propped between her hands, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the future.

"So far, so good," Alice said.

"I'll need a note from Carlisle to get out of swimming in PE," said Rosalie. She never took chances on her fair hair being chlorine-tinged; it was the only hair she would ever have.

Jake was busy stuffing his face. I watched fondly as he snarfed an entire hamburger in under three minutes. "You should enter one of those Japanese eating contests," I said.

"Disgusting," Rosalie muttered.

"What do you bet he can eat a hundred hot dogs?" Emmett said to Jasper. If there was a bet to be placed, one of them would suggest it.

"In what time frame?" Jasper asked.

"Mmm… under two hours."

"Better make it one hour," suggested Bella. She opened her eyes wide and stuck her tongue out at Jake, managing to contort her face, and, laughing, he almost choked on a French fry. I pounded him on the back.

"Child's play, hot dogs," said Jake. "Don't I get a stake in this?"

"I can cook you a steak," I said. It was one of the few human foods I truly enjoyed – extra rare, of course.

"How about a wasabi contest?" Edward suggested, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Emmett and Jasper perked up.

"That's not food, that's pure spice!" Bella protested. "It'll give him a heart attack."

"I laugh at your challenge," said Jake, "and happily accept."

"There's a Japanese restaurant in town, I see Emmett with a delivery from there…" Alice mused.

I loved my family.

* * *

_Thank you for reading and reviewing!!!_


	2. Passions

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_Passions_

My last class of the day was Programming, with a Mr. Zuchman, in Computer Lab 6. This was the only class I was actually excited about, for two reasons. First was that Jacob would be in it. Second was that I loved computers. When I was four, Emmett taught me video games, and from there I plunged into the online world of gaming, and then programming, and then blogging, and finally I went all-in and joined a "Dungeons and Dragons: New Generation" group.

Yeah, so I was a total geek.

Computers were what my family called my big interest: just like my dad's was music, my mom's literature, Esme and her architecture, Alice and fashion, Rosalie and cars, Carlisle and… being nice and helping people… that's the drift. Anyway, I was the computer nerd. It came in really handy with forging new identities and altering records to cover our tracks. I used facial recognition software to find photos of any Cullens, in any context: social networking sites, news articles, even government records, and then deleted them or tweaked them so we weren't recognizable. Jasper was especially pleased with my progress.

My handle was "Morphette" as a nod to the fictional hacker, Morpheus, from the original computer nerd film, _The Matrix_. Also, I was a morph, sort of: a genetic blend of vampire and human. Almost one of a kind.

My online identity had a lot of friends around the world. There was "Silvius" in the Ukraine, and "DeviDiva" in Bangladesh, and "PeuChen91" in Brazil. We were kind of an online gang, sharing information and technique with each other, and engaging in death match D&D games. I had no idea who they were, or what they looked like, and I enjoyed the same anonymity from them. But for a mind like mine – quick, easily bored – the Internet was the only place that could keep up with my hybrid brain. The place where I was free to be challenged.

To the world at large, I was Morphette the hacker, who had made the news ticker at Times Square read, "_I am a Cookie Monster OM NOM NOM_."

It had taken the cyberterror division of the FBI an entire day to make it go away. It was one of my proudest moments.

So, when I entered the darkened lab and saw the zig-zag rows of workstations, the pale glow of screens, I let out a sigh of contentment. Jake entered behind me and I could feel the heat of him warming the air around us. "Sit by me," I whispered.

"Of course," he whispered back, his breath tickling my ear. My hummingbird-quick heart beat a little faster.

"Greetings, class," said a voice from the front. "Please take note of my seating chart before you sit down."

_Aw, man_._ Maybe it's alphabetical. B for Black, next to C for Cullen…_

It wasn't. Mr. Zuchman had arranged us randomly. Jacob was all the way on the other side of the room, according to the chart.

Jake's mouth twisted to the side, disappointed.

I reached out and grazed the back of his hand with my fingers, sending him a thought. _I'll text you during class_.

He grinned, a white smile in the gloom, and I felt happy for making him grin.

I sat down at my assigned seat and rested my fingers on the keyboard – my instrument. I could type in my sleep; in fact, I often did, dreaming of new ways around firewalls, or new techniques to beat an unbeatable game. My superhuman reflexes helped.

Jake's head was just visible over the plastic divider walls. I pulled a rubber band from my bag and flicked it at him. A few seconds later, it came sailing back and smacked me in the forehead.

"Ahem."

I looked up at the girl standing in the aisle next to me. It was the popular blonde, Abby, her glossy lips shining in the cool dim light. I raised my eyebrows.

"That's my seat," she said.

I checked the number of the computer. She was wrong. "No, it's mine, console eleven."

"No, it's mine."

She was _so_ wrong! But what could I say? I felt like she would get angrier when I turned out to be correct. I wasn't sure how to act around a stubborn human. "Why don't we ask the teacher?" I said. Maybe she'd blame him instead.

I glanced over at the chart and saw her name next to console twelve. Super. Right next to me.

Abby saw it too. She let out a huff and twirled on her heel, marching toward her seat.

At least the screens were at angles, with dividing walls, so that I didn't have to see her face. I was sure that she would be glaring at me. This was a new experience, this virulent dislike from a person I didn't even know. People (well, vampires, werewolves, and my human grandfather) all loved me. I didn't know how to endear myself to a strange human using only words, or looks.

Whatever. I had Jake across the room, and I could hear the solid beating of his heart, a rhythm I would recognize anywhere. That was another cadence I heard in my sleep… typing, and the heart of a werewolf, my two most soothing sounds.

Mr. Zuchman broke into my appreciation of Jacob's heartbeat. "Everyone be seated and be quiet. Thank you. This is Programming Three. If you have not taken Programming Two, then you should not be in this class. The emphasis of this class is computer languages; we will be learning basic code linguistics, the definitions of Fortran, Basic, Cobol, the origins of linguistic agreements, the international variances…"

He went on, but I tuned out. My fingers were already moving, not over my keyboard, but over the keys on my phone. "_Child's play_," I texted to Jacob.

I heard his snort of amusement.

Now, Jake was not so much a computer geek as a motors geek. His thing was restoring old cars, classic cars, and he was taking Shop as one of his electives. It was strange that he and Rosalie didn't get along better, given their common passion for engineering. Bad blood (or as Rosalie would call it, stinky blood) died hard.

Smiling, I thought that he really was like Danny Zuko from _Grease_.

I could play a credible Sandy, given Edward's enforcement of my virginity rules. This turned my smile into a scowl. Did they care that I'd been a fully mature adult at the age of seven? No. My dad had convinced my mom that, since all of us had eternity, they could treat me like a child until I was technically eighteen. Just because they didn't want me to grow up… It was frustrating on so many levels.

I'd been ready to date boys for near on a decade, although I didn't know who I would want to date. No human boys, that was for sure… and that brought my mind closer to some great realization, like skimming the surface of a feeling that I couldn't name…

"Ruh-ness-mee? Ruh-ness-mee Cullen?"

Oh. Attendance. "It's… uh, I'm called Nessie, it's easier. I'm here." I smiled at Mr. Zuchman.

He scribbled on the sheet. "Ruh-ness-mee."

I turned back and rolled my eyes. Couldn't he get it right? How did this mediocre man get to be a teacher?

Our first assignment was to write a basic piece of code for a home page on the Web. I did it in approximately four seconds, which left me the rest of the class period to play around with the school's firewall system, testing its weaknesses, and then rout my signal through an untraceable server in Russia. That would set me up for the semester as long as we didn't change computers.

When class – and school – was dismissed, it was with a feeling of triumph that I walked with Jacob out to the parking lot. I'd survived the first day. Metaphorical, of course, since I was immortal.

To complete his look, Jake had a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, all black and silver. He set the helmet on his head; he hated wearing it, but it was the law, and not worth the trouble of me erasing his records should he be ticketed.

Edward shook his head as Jacob revved the engine.

_You're such an old man,_ I thought at Edward.

His mouth quirked into a smile. An old man smile. _Sheeeesh._

"See you at leech headquarters," Jacob said to me, flashing a sunshine-brilliant grin before he drove off fast on the growling Harley.

"Can't wait," I murmured, watching as he turned out of the parking lot.

"C'mon, kiddo," said my dad – I mean, Edward – slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Let's go home. I think we can beat him there."

I grinned. Nothing like a little friendly competition.

* * *

After school, it was Cullen family meeting time. We sat in the big living room, perched around on the pale brocade sofas and on the white carpet.

"How was it?" Esme asked eagerly, focusing on Bella and me, since it was our first time back in school, and in school at all, respectively.

"Nothing's changed," said Bella, "even being stared at as the new kid!"

"That's not why they're staring, my love," said Edward, his hand around her waist, his voice colored with tones of approval, pride, and protectiveness against the thoughts of teenage boys toward his wife.

"And you, Nessie? How did you like school?" Esme asked.

"It was… kinda boring," I said honestly.

This brought chuckles from around the room.

"See, you haven't been missing much," said Emmett.

"I recommend finding something to occupy that mind of yours during the slow hours," said Edward, "to keep you from going crazy."

He just didn't like how my thoughts always wandered to Jacob. He couldn't fool me.

The humorous creasing of his eyes revealed that I was right.

Odd, though, how… reluctant he was about Jacob, even after all these years. It was laughable, he acted almost like Jake was courting me, or some –

"Oh! I'm going to find Bella's Christmas gift on Ebay," Alice interrupted my musing. She looked around, wide-eyed. "Sorry."

Edward laughed softly at whatever was in Alice's mind, while Bella looked uncomfortable, as she always did with the idea of gifts. I couldn't understand it, but then I'd been spoiled with gifts all my life, and had learned to get used to them graciously.

I heard a crash in the kitchen as Jacob foraged for dinner, and then the flitting of Rosalie's outraged steps to find out what he'd broken, and their low argument about a ceramic bowl.

"It's cracked. You cracked it."

"I did not. That was there before. It's part of the design or whatever."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Oh, brother," Bella muttered.

Rosalie growled.

Jacob growled back.

I growled, just for the heck of it.

"Really, all of you!" said Esme, standing up and heading for the kitchen to supervise.

The house was quiet for a few minutes except for the low strains of a classical album (Rachmaninoff, it sounded like) from the music room. Edward and Bella were hip-to-knee against one another on the sofa, their faces holding a look we all recognized. It meant don't come knocking on _their_ door later.

Alice laid out on the floor, arms outstretched, staring at the ceiling; she looked as though she were making a snow angel in the white carpet. Jasper, standing next to her, asked Edward, "What did they all think of us?"

Tearing his eyes away from Bella's face, Edward said, "It went very well. The usual. They think we're beautiful, standoffish, unapproachable, and too pale. No one came close to noticing us as inhuman. I think that Nessie and… well, Jacob… help with that a lot, actually."

I beamed. I liked helping to make things easier. I never forgot how much danger we'd all been in, once upon a time, after I was born. _Because_ I was born.

"Good," said Jasper. "All good."

"All good," Alice agreed from the floor.

Jasper smiled down at her, the silvery scars on his skin creasing like folded tissue paper.

I heaved myself up from my stretched position on the other sofa. "Well, I have a chatroom in a couple minutes," I said, tapping at my watch.

"Nerd!" Jacob called from the kitchen.

"See you in my room, nerd accomplice!" I called back. While I was online, seated in front of my nefarious-looking tower platform and triple-screen configuration, Jacob would set his laptop next to me and check all the classifieds for old cars for sale. Although he'd never graduated high school (yet), he hadn't been spending the past sixteen years hanging around and eating the Cullens out of house and home. Well, not just that, anyway.

Jacob had started a sort of business where he bought dilapidated cars, fixed them, restored them with loving care, and then resold them to collectors. Sometimes they were just run-of-the-mill Mustangs and such; sometimes he found real treasures. Once there had been a 1930s Duesenberg, and another time a 40s Rolls Royce. I'm pretty sure Rosalie was jealous of his job.

He made good money, too, and with Jasper's help, had incorporated himself so that no matter where we lived or what alias he used, the company's name and reputation would be intact.

And then, after his father Billy died of pneumonia seven years ago in spite of Carlisle's best efforts, he'd needed some work to really throw himself into.

So, no matter how much he acted the wild boy on a motorcycle, I knew that Jacob's real calling was in a garage, restoring old glories piece by piece, all responsibility and care.

It was almost like how my father drove like a maniac by human standards (and by my mother's standards) but that was just a front. In truth he was crazy responsible.

I realized that I'd just compared Edward and Jacob. If my father was listening to my thoughts, he would be annoyed. _Stubborn old man, that's what they say about eavesdroppers…_

I could just hear his low chuckle.

* * *

It was amazing how fast a routine formed. School was boring as promised, and before I knew it, the first week was over and it was the weekend. I hadn't made any friends amongst the Brighton kids, since I had all of my classes with one of my family members or Jake. We sat together at lunch and there was no need to mingle.

On Saturday, it was sunny. If it hadn't been the weekend, all the Cullens would have skipped class, except lucky me. I didn't sparkle as badly as they did.

As it was, I woke up, got dressed in jeans and a light sweater, and wandered downstairs to make myself a nice breakfast omelette with raw steak. On the second floor hallway I passed my parents' suite of rooms. The door was open and Bella was in the sun-drenched room, straightening the bed. _Why would she_ – oh. Rolling my eyes at my parents' antics – _you'd think they were newlyweds_ – I asked, "Hey, Mom. Is Jake coming over?"

"Morning, hon! He's not here yet. You could ask… well, you could call him." Bella held a pillow in her hand and tossed it once in the air to fluff it. She stood with a ray of sunshine at her back, illuminating the shining red tones in her hair, creating a glittering edge around her skin. Her eyes were dark topaz, eyebrows in a curious arch. "Is everything okay with you two?"

"Yeah, of course!" It sounded unconvincing, even to myself.

"Come here and sit down. We can talk about it." Bella patted the top of the white bedspread.

"There's nothing to talk about." But I sat down anyway and clasped my mother's hand and let my thoughts pour out. _It's just that he doesn't come by every day like he used to. It's hard being away from your best friend. Ever since we moved, things have been different between us, almost… self-conscious, or something. We had such a great life in Forks and now…_ I let go, unaware that I'd even been having these thoughts. They'd been subconscious until now, but I realized they were true. There was something different with Jake and me.

Bella gazed at me, and I could have been imagining things, but it was like there was a glimmer of awareness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, hon. I know moving is hard. It's hard for me too, but we had to leave Forks. People were definitely starting to notice… things."

Yeah. Things like not aging. I understood that. But still… I grabbed her hand again. _I miss being a big family, with the pack and Charlie and Sue. I miss the woods and First Beach and the baseball meadow. And I think that maybe Jacob misses all of that even more than I do. What if he's lonely? He's stuck at that boarding house, pretending that he's _not_ a werewolf. Everyone who understands him is on the other side of the country, besides us. He's the Alpha of his pack. The future chief of his entire tribe. I bet he's unhappy! And what if he blames me for drawing him away from all that?_

Bella's face was full of sympathy. "I know. I've thought about this, too. But this is only for a few years. All the others, Seth and Leah and Quil and Embry and everyone… they'll still be there when we've got you all through high school."

_And Charlie? And Sue?_

Bella smiled. "Don't forget they're coming for Christmas, with Seth and Leah."

_Maybe he misses Billy_.

Bella's smile faded. "We all do. But Jacob's adjusted well. Once he gets into things here, finds some old engines to mess with, he'll be just fine. Don't worry. Nothing can get in the way of you two." She patted my hand.

That was an odd thing to say. _You two_. As if we were –

I heard the knock on the door downstairs, along with the beat of Jacob's heart, and I leapt up.

"See?" Bella said, laughing. "Let's get you some breakfast, hmm?"

I swung open the beveled glass door and saw Jacob on the front porch, bare-chested, just buttoning up his jeans. He phased into his wolf form for a long run every morning. It was his unique elixir of eternal life.

"Hey, Ness!"

"Hey, Jake!"

"I'm starving."

"Me, too. I was gonna make omelettes, you want one?"

"Do you need to ask?"

We were sitting at the big kitchen table, eating, when Esme glided into the room. "So!" she began brightly. "Who wants to help me at my house today?" Enthusiasm was all over her heart-shaped face and she grinned meaningfully at us.

"Uh… we do?" Jake offered.

"Excellent! Ness, I'll need you to help with the upstairs wiring. It hasn't been re-done since the nineteen-forties. Jacob, if you don't mind, the boiler needs some serious work on the valves. It's newer, but not maintained."

"Mmm!" Jacob nodded, his mouth full of omelette.

Esme's pet project was a big old house outside of town. It looked haunted, all gaping windows and dark paint and cobwebs. The lines were beautiful, Gothic Victorian, but the roof was falling in and one side had been destroyed by a fire.

The house had a dark history, too. According to the papers back in 1953, the fire fire had killed the family living there, a husband and wife and their teenage son.

We knew the truth. Esme had found the house through a local real estate agent and when she visited, beneath the dust and damp rot and neglect, she had caught a whiff of the unmistakable: a vampire.

We thought the vampire, a probable nomad, had feasted on the family and then burned their bodies to cover his tracks. It was long ago, but Esme wanted to restore the house and give it back to the community, as a sort of amends. She was way past the statute of limitations on this one, but I could see her point. Besides, it gave her a challenging project to occupy her time. It would take several years at least.

In the car on the way over – Esme drove Carlisle's Mercedes – she chattered about her plans for the house. "I'm thinking it could be a parochial school. It's such a lovely setting, and for young children, with that big lawn… or perhaps a home for orphans. The foster system is terrible, and kids need a happy place to grow up without being shifted from one family to another…"

In the back seat, Jacob and I smiled at one another. Esme was so sweet. Vampire cover stories notwithstanding, Carlisle and Esme were just the types to adopt a bunch of kids. And isn't that what they had done?

I was glad to help her, and besides, I had my own plans for the wiring. No matter what happened to the house after it was done, it would need a good internet connection. I'd hacked into the municipal electric company's maps of the area, and found a fiber-optic connection running a hundred yards away from the house. I could easily jump-wire onto it, without anyone noticing.

The gravel crunched under the tires as we pulled up the drive. The house looked straight out of a horror film, a gap-toothed monster of a building. "Wow," said Jacob. He hadn't seen it before.

"Such a tragedy," said Esme, turning off the engine. I wasn't sure if she meant the fate of the family, or the waste of such a beautiful house. Probably both.

The front door hung off the jam and we squeezed through into a musty front hall. There were a few pieces of furniture covered by ghostly white cloth. The dust was inches thick and the floorboards seemed to creak with every breath of wind. I took a deep sniff of the air. _Yep, vampire,_ I thought, touching Jacob's elbow.

He made a face, agreeing.

"The boiler is in the basement," said Esme, leading us through. I could see that the house had once been beautiful. The moldings were delicately carved and the banister on the big staircase had a gorgeous neoclassical newel post. "Be careful on the stairs, there are rotten places. I've strung work lamps all the way in."

I smiled at Jacob again. Esme had ushered Jacob under her motherly wing just like the rest of us. I think Jacob's heartbeat made her nervous; it was a little too vulnerable.

Esme seemed to float down the stairs. I followed, and Jacob's clunking footsteps made the floorboards groan.

"Careful!" she said again. "I don't want you hurting yourself… these rusty nails…"

"Esme," Jacob said. "I heal in, like, point-two seconds."

"Hmmph," she said.

"Besides," I said, "with our feverish temperature, normal bacteria don't survive in the bloodstream."

This was true. Years ago, Carlisle and Edward had taken our blood and done a ton of experiments on it. Shapeshifters were immune to the viruses and bacterial infections of humanity. Vampire venom was unfortunately fatal to them, however.

As for me, I was also safe from infection, but vampire venom would transform me into a full-on vampire, something I knew Jake would hate.

"Here it is," said Esme, sighing in the direction of the boiler. It hunched in the corner of the room like a mechanical ogre. Jacob was beside it immediately, shaking his head at the state of the pressure joints and the bolts. "It sure does need work." He flicked on the bright workman's light on the string overhead. "Tools?"

"Over there," Esme pointed.

"Cool, thanks." He was absorbed.

"No, thank you! Nessie, I'll show you the wiring supplies. I ordered them a couple days ago, they're still coiled up…"

I spent the morning ripping out decayed wire. I used tape to mark the points of entry and to know where to replace my connections. The walls needed to be refinished, but the bones of the house were solid and well-constructed. It was sturdy and undamaged beneath the creepy façade. By noon, the entire second story was creatively wired with state-of-the-art carbon nanotube connections. I could hear Jacob in the basement, tightening the last few bolts. Esme had ripped up the ruined dining room floorboards and replaced them with temporary plywood.

"We're done for today!" she called up to me. "It's sunny and you two should get some fresh air for the afternoon."

We drove back to the house with the back windows rolled down. Jacob stuck his head out like dog. I laughed at him.

When his head was turned, I glanced down at his large, capable hand resting on his knee. Unable to repress the urge, I touched him, sending him my wish to go for a run.

He looked into my eyes, his happiness warming my face.

* * *

_Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!_


	3. Generous

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone who's read and especially left reviews! I love to hear from you! Here's a short little chapter for Saturday ^_^

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_Generous_

By Monday it was still sunny and, except for Jacob and me, everyone stayed home from school. A few of them were hunting, including my parents. I was looking forward to a long, lonely day at school when, after homeroom Chemistry and a texting war with Alice at home, I was intercepted in the crowded hallway.

"Let's play hooky," Jacob whispered in my ear, grabbing me by the elbow. "Your dad's not here to read our thoughts. Alice can't foresee us. Hurry, before any of the teachers catch us."

"Okay!" I blurted.

We raced slowly (at human-ish speed) out to the parking lot. Jacob hopped on his motorcycle and tossed me the spare helmet.

Giggling, looking behind me to make sure no one was following us, I fastened the strap and hopped on behind Jacob. My balance was superb and I didn't need to hold on, but I put my hands on his waist anyway. He threw a dazzling smile back at me and the motorcycle bucked like an eager horse as he throttled out of the parking lot.

The wind was cool on our faces and my long hair was a tangled stream behind me. Jacob went fast, but not too fast, until we were out of the city limits, and then he punched forward. I squealed with delight and wrapped myself closer.

I was very much aware of my legs, and the hard strength of his muscled back and abdomen, and how broad his shoulders were, and the feel of his leather jacket against my cheek. He'd always been there for me, a solid protector, a giver of great big hugs, but there was a sudden dangerous edge to his presence.

It felt as though we'd moved from Forks and left our old personas, our old patterns, behind. Here in Rochester, something new and dizzying was in the air.

Jacob made a wide turn down a small country lane that cut through the thick forest. I knew where we were headed: Esme's restoration house. Haunted House, I decided to start calling it. It was haunted with the possibilities of what my family could have become… not victims, but killers.

In all, a delicious fear.

We roared up the drive. The sunshine in the clearing made the blank windows of the house seem all that much darker. A quick sniff of the air told me we were alone. Esme was hunting today, too.

"Did you sneak me out of school so we could do a painting job for my grandmother?" I accused, reluctantly removing myself from my perch on the motorcycle.

Jacob laughed. "No. Although we could, if you want to."

I touched his cheek with the back of my hand. It tingled with my thoughts. _I want to hear what you have in mind first. _

"I have something to show you. You're gonna love it." He pulled his helmet off. His black hair stuck up in all directions.

_You need a haircut_.

He ruffled his hair so it was even wilder and gave me a wolfy grin. "Come on." He grabbed my hand.

I followed him into the house. Something smelled new in here. Like… electricity, and plastic, and circuit boards, and paper.

_I smell computer!_

Jacob laughed. "An early birthday gift."

Ah, yes, my birthday was in a few days. September was always an important month for us. We Cullens celebrated not only my birthday, but teased my mother about hers.

Jacob led me up the stairs and into a large room with a square bay window. There was a fireplace on one wall, a wrought iron bed covered with a white sheet on another wall, but my eyes were drawn to the center of the room.

"Wow," I said.

Sunlight streamed through the old glass windows, glinting off the surfaces of a computer system, the best in the world: a Spider Quantum 3000 mainframe, manufactured by Cray, and it hummed happily, blue power lights glowing. The massive, paper-thin screen showed a twisting ribbon screensaver. The keyboard called to me.

On the top of the tower, Jacob had placed green stuffed animal, a sea serpent with a pink tongue. The Loch Ness Monster.

"Jacob, I…"

"It's yours."

"How did you… When did you… Do you know how _expensive_ these things are?"

"I know very well," he said, grinning. "I expect a return on my investment."

I stared up at him. This was too good to be true. I flung my arms around his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He swung me around once and set me down on my feet. "You're welcome!" Then he pressed his lips to the top of my head, where my hair was flattened by the helmet.

I stood still for a moment as he ruffled my hair back into place. His fingers lingered in my curls for an instant too long, and then he cleared his throat and made a sweeping gesture toward the computer. "All yours, my… Nessie."

With a cry of anticipation, I flung myself into the chair and started exploring the system. It was blazingly fast, and I was in heaven. It was everything I could want in a machine. I was glad that I'd thought to wire the upstairs with the best cables, and that I'd thought to piggy-back onto a fiber optic connection. I was invisible here. The main cable used so much bandwidth that no one would ever notice my activities.

I reached out and clasped Jacob's hand. _It's a dream. Thank you_.

The sun was setting by the time I pulled my attention out of the computer. At first I couldn't think why I'd emerged; Jacob was running laps as a wolf outside, and there was some noise distracting me.

Oh. My phone. _We're in trouble,_ I realized. The screen told me it was Edward. "Hello?" I said, unable to kept the crack of guilt out of my voice.

"Young lady."

_Shoot._ "Hi, Dad."

"Where are you?"

"Hanging out with Jake."

"And how long have you been doing that?"

It was pointless to lie, I knew. I bet the school called home and told them about my unexcused absences. "Since first period. I'm sorry, Dad – I mean, Edward – I mean, school is just so boring."

"I don't care if it's boring. You need to go. You realize that _all _of us were missing today? That's going to attract attention. All eight missing. On sunny days. Renesmee…"

_Shoot. _He was calling me by my full name. "I'm on my way home," I sighed.

"That's right, you are." He hung up.

I waved to Jacob out the window. He phased out of my sight and was dressed by the time I shut down my computer, caressed it once, and slid down the banister and out the front door. "We better get back."

"Edward?"

"Yep."

We were subdued on the way home. I hadn't thought about what it would look like to the rest of Brighton High School… especially if the security cameras would show how I'd taken off on the back of Jacob's motorcycle. The administration might already be classifying the Cullen kids as potential troublemakers and we did not need that kind of attention.

This wouldn't endear Jacob to Rosalie any more, that was for sure.

It would do no good to try to sneak in by jumping through my window. They would have smelled us already, and Edward would have sensed our chagrined thoughts.

Rosalie met us at the door, arms crossed. "Hi, Ness." She pointedly ignored Jacob.

"Hi, Blondie," he said.

She sniffed dramatically and turned away.

"Sorry, Rosalie," I said as she closed the door behind us. I decided it was best to head off the lecture by apologizing outright. "Hi," I said, seeing my parents standing in the living room in front of the white plaster fireplace. "I'm so sorry. We didn't think. It won't happen again."

Jacob added, "It was my bad idea. I didn't consider how it would look. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh? How's that?" Edward said.

"Um… thinking up the world's best blond joke?"

Edward's mouth showed a twitch of humor.

"You have to admit, they don't need to be in class every day," said Bella. I could count on my mom to stick up for my adventures with Jacob. "I seem to recall skipping some days ourselves, back in Forks."

It was amazing how being in love could make a person chill out. Edward smiled, his eyes lifting to the ceiling in a reminiscent glow. "Yes, we did." He squeezed Bella's shoulders and she smiled up at him.

He didn't used to be so laid-back. Alice had told me how uptight and intense he'd been before he was married and before Bella was vamped. I could only imagine.

Off the hook, I wandered through the house and found Esme in the dining room, official-looking papers spread out in front of her. She frowned down at them.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just the house."

I touched her hand. _What is it?_

"I've been denied the permits to rebuild the destroyed wing. They won't accept my designs because I'm not associated with an accredited architectural firm."

"What? How ridiculous!"

"I know," Esme sighed. "The government is cracking down."

"I hate the government," I growled. "They should base permits on independent assessment of its structural integrity! Not on fear! There are plenty of architects who are incompetent." At the forefront of my mind was the famous Patriot Tower construction collapse in New York City several years ago, as a result of inadequate bracing of the foundations. I was sure Esme was thinking of it, as well.

"Anyway, there's no use fighting it. I'll keep the deed to the house and hope that they change their minds. Reason prevails eventually." She gave a tight smile. "After all, I have forever to wait."

I reached out and touched her face with my fingers. _I'm sorry._

"It's all right, dear. Maybe I'll redecorate Carlisle's study. I've never liked the proportions of those bookshelves up there."

Smiling, I pictured poor busy Carlisle having to move all his books around, and probably hang curtains, too.

Esme laughed at my mental image.

I found Jacob in the kitchen, eating peanut butter out of the jar. I touched his elbow and showed him the problem with our haunted house. But then again, it meant that my new office there would be undisturbed.

"Hmm," he said. "True."

_It could be our hideaway,_ I thought. _It even looks like something in The Matrix. All decrepit. No one around. _

"True!" There was even more enthusiasm in his voice now.

I dipped my finger into the peanut butter jar and stole a dollop. He tried to tickle me as I escaped, but I was too fast.

* * *

My sixteenth birthday and, according to the state of New York, I was legal to drive. I'd known how to drive for many years – since I was six – but the family liked to draw out my childhood as much as possible. Thus, I didn't have my own car… yet. I knew something was in the works for my birthday, because I was told not to enter the garage under any circumstances, and late at night I heard Rosalie working on something in there. I honored the request but I still pestered Bella about the surprise. She hated surprises and I could see that she wanted to tell me… but she didn't.

Oh, well. I could be patient.

The night of my party, I was told to wait up in my room, and while Alice decorated the downstairs, I occupied myself by challenging my Internet friends to some creative alterations of famous actors' fan pages. I sat back and laughed, watching their handiwork.

The best, by far, was PeuChen91. All I knew about her was that she was roughly my age and lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I watched live as she expertly Photoshopped one of Hollywood's hottest teen heartthrobs: now, in every picture on his website, he had a mullet hairdo and wore a flowered woman's dress.

There was a knock on my door. "Happy Sweet Sixteen," said Bella and Edward together.

I opened the door to find them on the landing, grinning broadly. "Alice is waiting," said Bella.

I wore a party dress that Alice bought me for my fifteenth birthday – after all, I hadn't grown a bit in nine years – and matching heels. The dress was fawn-colored silk, worn with a royal blue leather belt. The shoes were pale pink. My hair was in a pile on top of my head.

"Ness, you look lovely," said Edward, pride in his eyes.

I descended the stairs into the dark. As soon as my toes crossed the living room threshold, the lights blazed on. The art nouveau wall fixtures cast shards of golden light across the smiling faces of my family. "Happy Birthday!" they shouted in unison, except for Jacob, who just grinned at me, never taking his eyes from my face.

"Thank you!" I said, noting the silver and orange roses, the pile of gifts, and the stunning tower of a cake made to look like a silver maple tree, complete with fluttering leaves. "Alice… you've outdone yourself. That cake!"

"I know! It's a wonderful bakery. I had a vision of it and they were able to replicate my description perfectly… which gave me the vision in the first place! Ah, time." Alice clapped her hands in delight.

"Open your gifts, dear," said Esme. "I can't wait for you to see this one." She handed me a small box.

"That was my idea," said Emmett. "Because I'll benefit, too."

Sitting down between Bella and Edward, with Jacob hovering at my shoulder, I tore into the package. "_Fallout: Doomsday_!" I read aloud the title of the video game. "This isn't even out yet!"

"It is for you," said Alice.

"For _us_," corrected Emmett, rubbing his hands together. "It's on, little niece."

"It's on!" I agreed. "You'll never beat me."

"I'll beat you," Jasper said.

"None of you stand a chance," added Jacob.

"That's right… against me!" I said.

The rest of my gifts were clothing from Alice, shoes from Alice, jewelry from Carlisle and Esme, and finally Edward rose from his seat and plucked a tiny box from the mantle. "From us," he said, nodding at Bella.

I untied the bow and opened the box. A car key. The logo flashed in the light. "A Jaguar?" I leapt to my feet. "Can I?"

"Go, go!" said Rosalie, laughing. "It's out front!"

I was out the door in a flash. Someone had trained a spotlight on the car – my car – and I gawked at it.

It was an antique Jaguar E-series convertible, finished in a deep, gleaming midnight blue. The interior was cream leather with a black steering wheel. The curves were classic 60s, the front grill looking like teeth bared for speed.

I was speechless in love.

"Do you like it?" Rosalie asked from behind me.

"We've done some modifications to the engine," said Jacob.

I whirled around. "You guys? You both worked on this? For me?"

They glanced at each other, a look filled with old disagreements, but they both nodded.

"Edward helped, too," said Rosalie.

"Helped keep the peace," said Bella, stepping out onto the porch.

Gratitude and excitement warred within me. Giving in to both, I squealed and flung my arms around Jacob, and then Rosalie, and then Bella, and then Edward who was behind her… my fist clutched the key and I couldn't wait.

"Can I?"

"Go!" said Edward, laughing.

I took a moment to touch the car, to appreciate it. Then I was in the driver's seat, feeling grown-up at last. "Come on, Jacob first!" I shouted.

Then we were off, me the happiest high schooler to ever sit behind the wheel of a car.


	4. Hints

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Hints_

By mid-November I was thoroughly over the high school thing. I sat in computer class, idly tapping through the FBI's mainframe. I needed to make sure they weren't on to me. I'd made minor history earlier this month: it was an election year, and to prove how easily manipulated the voting system was, I'd hacked into the results computer of the New York Senate race.

For three hours on election day (until I went in and fixed it back for them), the US Senator from New York was listed as "Your Mom."

Nope, the FBI had nothing on Morphette. I was zipping my way over to the CIA when Mr. Zuchman stepped toward me, lurking. I extricated myself from the system with seconds to spare. He stopped and leaned toward me. His breath smelled like stale coffee. "Have you completed your assignment yet?"

I didn't know why he always picked on me. "Yes."

"Well, let's see it."

I called up the homepage I'd designed. I'd used Esme's restoration house as inspiration: the font was dripping blood, there was a flying bat on the page using a flash animation, and I'd added haunted house sound effects. It was wonderfully tacky.

Mr. Zuchman turned his mouth down. "That's a lot of clutter."

"I just did what you told us." He had, in fact, told us to choose a theme for our website.

Mr. Zuchman moved on without saying anything. He irritated me to no end. He was slow and uninspiring. I could be doing so much more with this class… I hated to be wasting my time on something so elementary as webpage building. And computer languages? I knew them all. I guessed it was too much to hope for, that I would be challenged in high school.

As soon as the teacher had moved on, I sent an invitation to Jacob's computer across the room, and we jumped into a game of Warcraft Six.

"Attention, everyone," Mr. Zuchman droned, half an hour later.

"Blast," I muttered. I had almost eliminated Jacob's orc forces. He sent me an in-game taunt. "_War does not determine who is right, only who is left_."

I scowled.

"_Better exit. Zuch's behind u._"

Disappointed, I closed the game. Mr. Zuchman passed by me and stood at his own computer console at the front of the room. "Now that most of you have completed your first assignment, we'll be moving on to the next project, which is to write a simple computational program using C language. This will be a partnered assignment."

I sat up in my chair. _Please let us choose our own partners_…

"I have already assigned partners. What I don't need are pairs of giggling friends."

_Please, partner me with Jacob_, I thought, knowing that the odds were decreasing.

If only I had a vampire power of altering people's thoughts.

Mr. Zuchman began reading out his list. "Ruh-ness-mee Cullen and Ryan Simmons."

_Well, blast. And who the heck is Ryan Simmons?_

Mr. Zuchman called out more names and I waited… "Jacob Black and Abigail Ullman." Finished, he said, "Everyone pull up chairs to whichever partner's desk you choose. I've emailed the instructions to your accounts. You may begin." He pulled a pair of headphones over his ears and slumped down into his chair.

I stood up, looking for someone named Ryan. Jacob approached me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Can't you change his assignments with your computer wizard skills?"

"I think he'd notice now. And that's Abigail," I nodded toward the blonde girl with her moneyed earrings.

Jacob's hand brushed against the small of my back as he stepped past me. The pit of my stomach tingled. Maybe I was hungry.

"Are you, uh… Ren…Renee…"

I turned and saw a skinny boy with buzz-cut brown hair. "Call me Nessie, everyone does. You're Ryan?"

He nodded, eyes wide.

From the next console, I heard a simpering laugh. Peering over, I saw Abby sitting, breasts pushed forward, looking up at Jacob from under her eyelashes.

A searing knife of jealousy tore through me and I had to choke back a growl. _Mine_.

Now where did that come from?

Jacob raised his head toward me and I sat back down fast, unwilling to let him see the hurt in my face. What was my problem? Girls flirted with Jacob a lot. I didn't like it, but he never returned their attentions.

Still, my diamond-hard nails dug into the plastic of my chair, leaving half-moon crescents dotted along the side.

The rest of the period was a painful attempt by Ryan Simmons to speak in my presence; I took it he was shy. He was also not very good at programming and so I just wrote the program on my own as he stuttered out questions.

Every once in awhile, Abby giggled. I didn't need to be Edward to hear what she was thinking about Jacob. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but think about how her blood might taste… how unappealing she would be if she were lifeless and cold… the ease with which I could snuff out her shallow life… but I stopped myself there. If my thoughts went further, my father would give me a lecture about how it was wrong to fantasize about murder.

The final bell was about to ring when Abby whispered to Jacob. "So, I'm having a party next weekend at my house. My dad's away on business. Think you can come?"

I held my breath as Jacob hesitated.

"Sure, maybe," he said.

What did that mean?

"Can I bring someone?" he asked.

My mouth was the shape of triumph.

But then Abby said, "Of course! As long as it's not a girl." I could hear the batting of her thick mascara eyelashes against her cheek.

"Maybe I'll bring my friend Ed," said Jacob. I could hear the laugh in his voice. He had to be kidding.

"If your friend is as cute as you are, it'll be a great party. Hope to see you there," Abby said as the bell rang and she stood up, hip cocked, lips pursed. "Bye, Jake."

I could smell the overwhelming citrus of Clinique Happy perfume in her wake. _Well, fine. If he wants to go to a party at the house of some…_ (my mind supplied a not-very-nice word)… _that's his business. _But there was that other, deeper part of me that said, _No. He's mine. No one else's_. A fierce possession, put on the defensive.

As we walked together down the hallway, we ran into my parents – I mean, Bella and Edward – and I could see that Edward had been listening to all of this. He didn't say anything, just took Bella's hand and smiled knowingly.

So unfair. I would have to ask him what, precisely, Abby Ullman had in mind for my Jacob. I didn't think I'd like the answer, though.

Later that night, after Jake and I had beat Emmett and Rosalie at Pictionary, and eaten dinner, and Jake had left, I sat on the piano bench next to Edward and plucked at the keys. I touched his arm and wondered.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Half the girls in that school think the mongrel is a genuine, studly bad boy." Edward's voice was full of amusement.

_Great._

"I assure you, there is nothing in his thoughts toward any of them. I hope you realize he wouldn't look twice at any of those girls."

_Even looking once is bad enough_.

Edward turned to me, his eyes keen. There was something in them I couldn't quite identify, a confirmation or a worry or a secret.

_What?_

"Nothing."

_Dad… do you think you could go with him to the party?_

"I could," Edward said. "What makes you think Jacob would even go?" His hands danced over the keys, the opening chords of what he called Jacob's Wolfony.

_It just seems like it might help us… fit in better, or something. Like Mom said we should. She said that in Forks, the more isolated we were, the more people noticed us. She did, when she was human._

"Yes, she noticed me," he said. "Because she was my mate. And trust me, no girl is going to notice Jacob in so powerful a way. It would be impossible."

_Oh, really!_ My sarcastic thought made Edward stop playing.

"Really." His mouth opened as though he was about to say something else, but he turned back to the keys and started on Beethoven. "But I'll go to the party, if he goes. Just to keep an eye on things for you."

I knew my dad found joy in keeping Jacob in line. I think it was for my sake. He wouldn't want a bad influence on me. But in that moment as I leaned over and kissed Edward on the cheek, I couldn't have been more grateful for him.

* * *

For a week we had a nice streak of clouds and rain, but then it had been clear for the past six days. All of the Cullens were home with "highly contagious strep throat", according to the school district. Jacob and I had to attend, though, and every day I lugged home the piles of missed homework for my "siblings". I thought it was unfair that I had to slog through my days at school while everybody else frolicked in the sunshine, but I didn't complain… too much, anyway.

The worst of it was all the talk about Abby Ullman's party. Most of the students whispered about it in longing tones, since they were not invited. A few spoke of it like an inside joke: the athletic boys, the cheerleaders, the edgy guys who wore leather and (I could smell it around their edges) took drugs. Abby probably thought Jacob was one of those types, dangerously cool. How funny.

I wondered if Abby would like Jacob as much if she knew he ate raw meat on a regular basis.

Or if she knew he shapeshifted into a hirsute killer wolf-monster.

Several ambitious girls were planning to crash the party once all the guests were drunk, and no one would notice if they were invited. I heard them whispering about it in the bathrooms between classes.

A lot of the gossip was about Jacob. "He's so hot," they said. "He's so built." "How do you think he got those muscles? Does he work out? Does he use supplements? I wish I knew his secret." "I heard he's independent. He lives at a boarding house. No parents." "He's gorgeous."

Jacob, meanwhile, got a week's worth of detention for talking back to his math teacher. So I made sure to get caught passing a note in my French class, and got detention to match his. I spent the periods playing footsie with him under the table and compulsively checking my email.

"Figures you would get detention on the one sunny week," I grumbled on Thursday.

"I try my hardest."

"Maybe if you didn't wear so much black, Black."

"You think it makes me look dangerous?" He gave me a wicked arch of a grin.

"I think it makes you stand out. Like a red sports car on the highway. The kind the authorities like to notice."

"Hey, I can't help that I'm devastatingly handsome and rugged." He pretended to buff his nails on his collar.

"Ah, well. Alice says it'll be cloudy tomorrow. Everyone will be back." I sighed. "I can't wait."

It had gotten a bit weird in the lunchroom with just Jacob and me at our table. By the third day without my family, several outcast types had edged their way to sitting with us. Well-versed in teen movies about ugly ducklings, I'd tried to make conversation with them, hoping that there was a gem in the rough. But, no, they were just as unpleasant as anyone: bitter toward the rest of the school, slow-minded, and one of them (a girl) was a stoner who smelled very bad.

Thinking of our unwanted lunch guests earlier that day, I whispered to Jacob, "I don't think I like people much."

"Why? No one's been mean to you, have they?" There was a threat in his voice.

I touched his arm. _Not exactly. I don't know. It's just that I haven't made any friends. No one seems to want to talk to me. The girls are rude and boys just stutter a lot._

Jacob barked out a laugh, which made the detention supervisor glare.

"Ness. It's because of the way you look."

_What's wrong with the way I look? Is it my hair? No matter how hard I try, it just goes into curls, not jagged and fashion-y…_

"I know why," said Jacob softly. He reached out and took a lock of my hair between his fingers. "It's because you're so beautiful."

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

Then I remembered we were in detention and I broke the gaze. _The prettier you are, the more other girls dislike you. Rose warned me about this_._ She would know, girls hate her._

Jacob said, "I can think of a lot of reasons to hate Miss Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. But I guess Rosalie's right about girls in general. I don't get any of you. You all hate each other for these things you can't even help. Guys, see, we'll just have a fistfight and get it over with."

"I feel sorry for anyone in a fistfight with you," I said aloud.

Jacob smirked.

"You two! Quiet!" the detention monitor hissed.

I snuck my phone out of my pocket and checked my email. I had one new message and it was from… PeuChen91? My cyber friend from Brazil? Curious, I opened it. It said only one word: "_Mendel._"

Weird. Maybe it was the handle of a new player in our Dungeons and Dragons game. Shrugging, I grabbed Jacob's hand under the table and shared my thoughts, knowing he had to be quiet. I teased him with images of a delicious dinner, prime rib and potatoes, and I heard his stomach rumble. I taunted him with an image of him phased as a wolf and me running off with his spare clothes.

He growled low in his throat.

Quickly, I released his hand. I could feel my mind wandering to what he might look like as a human without the clothes I'd stolen in my imagination. _Inappropriate, Ness,_ I admonished myself. _It's Jacob, for heaven's sake!_

But I wasn't related to Jacob. This fact had been rearing its head a lot in my mind.

"You're all dismissed," said the teacher at the front, and I gathered my books. Jacob offered to carry them and I let him. It made me feel special to be the girl whose books he carried.

The only benefit of being the lonely Cullen in school was that I got to drive my new car. I'd been picking up Jacob every morning on my way to school, and then dropping him off after dinners at my house… in fact, driving everywhere, every chance I got. "Let's go to the haunted house," I said, knowing it was half an hour of driving.

"Okay, but we've got to stop and get some food on the way," Jacob said. "I'm so hungry I'm about to fall over."

We went through a drive-through, where Jacob ordered half the menu and the guy at the window gawped at my Jaguar, and then we were speeding off through the woods toward Esme's abandoned project.

We'd been spending a lot of time there. Jacob loved to run through the woods as a wolf, and sometimes while I worked on the Spider 3000 – my secret birthday gift – he sprawled out on the antique bed and did his homework. Sometimes we did homework together. I'd tacked up some curtains in the room and gotten a new bedspread, because the old one was moth-eaten, and we moved a table and a couple chairs in there, too. The room had a grunge-techno feeling that appealed to me. It was a contrast to my pretty decorated bedroom at home.

Today I sat down at my machine and jumped into the password-protected chatroom where my internet buddies hung out. Silvius was there and I asked him if he'd heard anything from PeuChen91. He hadn't. I asked him if _Mendel_ meant anything to him, and he asked me if I meant genetics.

That was such a broad definition, though. What would Mendel's genetics have to do with anything?

Then Devi was online, and she typed to me that some hacker named Mendel had written a Trojan horse program that had stolen a bunch of government medical records. We figured this must be who PeuChen91 meant, and then I was on the hunt, sniffing down leads, following keystrokes and the electronic trails through the contortions of the Internet.

I loved this sort of thing. The best part about the Web was that the challenge was unlimited; there was always someone who thought they were smarter than you.

By the end of my session, I'd learned that Mendel was from somewhere in South America, based on his occasional use of Brazilian-Portuguese slang. Did my friend PeuChen91 know him? I send her an email asking, "_Who is Mendel_?" I hoped she would tell me more.

I'd also learned that Mendel was all about the medical stuff. He'd been traced by the slowpokes at the FBI a couple years ago while trying to break into the mainframe at the Centers for Disease Control, in Atlanta. Then he must have gotten better, because after that, there was nothing in the law enforcement records about him.

The only other traces of Mendel were memberships of genealogy websites and a few random, almost bizarre organizations, like the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the National Mental Institution Reparations Society.

The computer beeped and I opened up my daily news feed. This was a mix of news from around the world, with the stories ordered according to relevance. After the Cullens and the wolves had dealt with that vampire Victoria and her misdeeds in Seattle before I was born, we all tried to keep an eye on mysterious deaths and disappearances.

There was a story about a high profile corporate headhunter in London who'd gone missing six months ago. His parents had issued another appeal. I scanned the article. "Govinda Singh… son of Indian immigrants…highest-paid talent finder in the City of London… unmarried… vanished after a corporate party held at an upscale restaurant… last seen with a stunning blonde, probable girlfriend, no other leads…" It didn't seem to mean anything.

The rest of the news was even less interesting: a missing six-year-old in Tennessee whose father had been embittered with the divorce; in Oregon, parents worried about a young man with schizophrenia who'd wandered off, claiming to be hearing voices; in Minnesota, an old lady with Alzheimer's vanished from her nursing home. No unexplained murders.

Yawning, I turned to Jacob, who was stretched on his back on the bed, eyes closed. "Ready to go?" It was twilight outside.

"Sure," he said without opening his eyes.

"Come on, lazy wolf," I said, leaping onto his stomach cross-wise.

"Ooof!" he said, but then he seized me by the arms and swung me off to his side. Our arms were touching. I felt flushed, although that didn't make sense, seeing as we had the same body temperature.

Then, my stomach rumbled.

Jacob sat up. "Hungry?"

_I guess I am, _I thought to him. I jumped up and opened a window, sticking my head out and sniffing. "There's a few deer out there. Shall we?"

"I'll go with you. I already ate, though."

"Oh, yeah. That restaurant'll have to close early tonight, seeing as all their food is gone."

"I'm helping to support the economy," Jacob said. "Race you."

After I'd drained two deer of their blood, I felt better. We sped back toward town in the graceful Jaguar. Jacob fiddled with the radio until we came across an alternative rock station. I dropped him off at his boarding house, an old brick building with fourteen large bedrooms, a common room, and a kitchen. It was filled with undergrads from the University of Rochester and a smattering of graduate students. Strange to think that Jacob, the high school student, was technically the oldest among them, at thirty-three. He was double my age.

I tried not to think about that as he squeezed my shoulder goodbye and disappeared through the front door of his building. Age wasn't an issue for immortals. My dad was a hundred years older than my mom. Carlisle was hundreds older than Esme.

And they were all couples. Jacob and I were not. We were friends.

I punched the gas and sped towards home. I met Rosalie and Emmett in his Hummer coming down the drive; they paused to roll down the window. "We're off hunting in the Adirondacks," Rosalie said.

"Oh! Have a nice time."

"Rich in black bears, that area," said Emmett. "We have a cabin up there, you know. We need some alone time…"

"Emmett!" Rosalie admonished, kissing him on the neck.

_Ugh_. "See ya," I said, wrinkling my nose at them. I pulled the Jaguar up into the detached garage. It felt so nice to have my own car, my own independent way around town. I needed to start doing shopping and stuff by myself. My family was great, but sometimes… I just liked to be alone. Especially when they acted all couple-y. It was no fun being a ninth wheel.

I headed up to my room, pausing to knock on Jasper's door. "I printed this stuff out," I said, holding out the sheaf of news articles I'd brought from the haunted house. He always wanted my internet findings.

"Thanks, Ness." He riffled through them and his brow furrowed.

I touched his arm. _ I didn't see anything significant, but I don't have a lot of experience with vampire armies._

Jasper smiled. "No, this is good. Do you think you could get me a list of the names and occupations and ages of all missing persons cases that are internationally listed? Like from Interpol?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I could, yeah… but that's going to be a long list. At least a full tree's worth of paper." The government had severe restrictions on the amount of paper individuals were allowed to use; the lumber harvest regulations had devastated the economy back in Forks."Can we narrow down the parameters at all? How 'bout just the biologists?"

That was a famous trend – for years, around the world, biologists had been disappearing. The most notorious had been a geneticist named Saul Ferreira, who'd written a program to analyze every part of the human genome. He'd vanished while on vacation in the south of France. Carlisle had been acquainted with him before he went missing… but that was fifteen years ago. If you asked me, they'd all disappeared on purpose and formed some kind of freaky island, like in _The Island of Dr. Moreau_.

"I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, only that I'll know it when I find it." Jasper's mind worked that way, looking for tactical patterns in seemingly random events. I got it. It was like the way I saw the bones of code behind the screen of a computer.

"Are you thinking about another army?" I asked. "Because from what my mom and dad have told me about Victoria, she made herself obvious from the newborns hunting too many humans."

"Not an army, exactly. I don't know. More like… an intuition that I should be looking for something I can't put my finger on."

I wondered if Alice had had a vision. Tired of explaining myself aloud, I took Jasper's hand.

"No, not that she's told me."

_Is everything all right?_

"Everything's fine, really. I'm just being paranoid."

_Is it because you still feel bad for leaving during that whole Volturi fiasco? Because no one blames you. You and Alice saved our butts. We wouldn't be able to do any of this without you. So don't feel like you're not doing a good job._

Jasper was reassured; he sent a wave of happy gratitude in my direction. "Thanks, Nessie. Maybe that's part of it. I don't know."

_I'll get those lists. Maybe it'll come to you._ I gave him a smile and skipped upstairs to get ready for bed. My bathroom and dressing room were on the third floor, and a spiral staircase in the dressing room led up to my bedroom. It really was a princess tower. I took a long hot bath, letting my hair float amongst the lavender-scented bubbles, and then washed and conditioned it with spa products. Even though our vampire hair was naturally healthy and shiny, Rosalie insisted the family use the best in hair care.

I curled up in a ball under my covers and watched the stars glitter outside my window until I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Thank you for reading, please review!!_


	5. Perfection

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_Perfection_

It was Saturday, the day of Abby Ullman's party, and Bella was teasing Edward about his role of wolf chaperone.

"They don't know I'm a centenarian," said Edward, tweaking his tousled hair into something vaguely cool. "Far as they know, Jake and I are both seventeen, and good pals."

"Pals," I scoffed. "You sound like an old man, old man!"

"And he's invited to a party with all these young people," Bella said, trying and failing to make her lilting voice sound old and crackling, like a crone's.

I started to laugh, but then remembered how I was not invited. My heart beat faster with hatred toward the other, human girls… that they dared to look at my Jacob… my warm, hard-bodied, tall, dark, handsome friend… I touched Edward's arm and Bella's hand. _I wish I was going. Those girls are really icky, Dad._

"If they're icky, why do you want to go to their party?"

_I'm afraid they're going to corrupt Jake._

Edward laughed out loud. "They won't. They can't."

_You keep saying that! Why can't they?_

He and Bella shared a look.

_Are you keeping secrets from me?_

"No," Bella said, a little too fast.

Edward and I both rolled our eyes at how terrible a liar she was.

She amended, "Just don't worry. Jacob's one of us, Ness. He knows better than to endanger humans."

_Did Dad know better?_

"That was different," Bella said.

_What if he falls in love with Abigail stupid Ullman?_

Edward laughed again. This time there was an odd note of resignation in it. "Ness, I promise I'll keep an eye on him. Both eyes."

I would have to be satisfied with that. I let go of my parents and ambled off into the family room at the back of the house, where Jasper and Emmett - back from hunting with Rosalie - were watching some old movie on the plasma.

"What's this?" I asked, dropping onto the sofa.

"_The Boys from Brazil,_" said Jasper. "Classic."

It was about some Nazis who'd escaped to Brazil after the war, where they were trying to clone Hitler. The film ended with some creepy kid developing photos of a dog attack. Emmett got up and switched the disc out for my birthday gift, _Fallout: Doomsday._

"Let's play, kiddo," said Emmett, his pale gold eyes flashing as he tossed me a third controller.

"Okay," I said, despondent.

I felt a wave of upbeat energy from Jasper.

"Thanks," I said.

"Now prepare to be destroyed," Jasper said, widening his eyes and digging in to the video controller.

"A hundred bucks says you can't beat the level in four minutes," said Emmett.

I noted the soft purr of my dad's Aston Martin on the drive and then out on the road, heading towards town, towards Jacob.

Since the Second Depression we'd been able to drive the best cars more often. The disparity of wealth in society was extreme now, and for every ten poor people, there was a _very _rich person, and the rich flaunted it. The result was that it was less unusual to see an expensive car; people just said, "Oh, there goes another leech," thinking of the small minority of the super-wealthy for whom price was no object.

In our case, they had no idea how right they were. Carlisle actually encouraged us to drive the rare sports cars. He said it helped humans write us off as annoying rich people, instead of noticing us as oddly humble rich people.

Not that my apparent social position was enough to garner an invite from the most popular girls in school.

Growling, I wiped out Emmett's avatar in a fierce display of onscreen shooting.

He swore under his breath.

I was wondering how it was going at the party when Alice wandered in around ten-thirty. "So, Nessie. I'm going to teach you something tonight."

"What's that?" I asked, teeth gritted as I passed through a gauntlet of napalm-wielding mutants.

"How to crash a high school party."

I dropped the controller. "I'm in my pajamas."

"That will soon change."

Jasper chuckled. "Alice, I should have known you had some scheme up your sleeve."

"We can't have our Nessie being excluded. All the humans will be… shall we say… off their faces. And how many films have we watched? These parties always get out of hand once people are drunk, calling other people to come, and soon the house is filled with God-knows-who."

"Vampires," said Emmett dramatically.

"Come on. Rosalie's upstairs waiting to do your hair." Alice nudged my shoulder.

This made me nervous. What if Abby saw me and ordered me away from her house? What if we were caught? It would be humiliating. But then again, this was exactly what human girls would do. I'd heard those uninvited ones discussing their plans in the bathroom at school. And also… I had the oddest desire for Jacob to see me dressed up, laughing, the center of attention and beautiful.

An odd desire, because he'd seen me in all kinds of clothes and situations, since I was a baby. Why did I think it mattered what he thought of my looks? Yet, it did.

On the second floor we passed my parents' open door. I could see Bella standing by the window, reading a book; she turned toward us and I saw that it was _North and South_, by Elizabeth Gaskell. I was unsurprised; Victorian social dramas suited my mother.

"Bella!" Alice sang. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"Urgh!" Bella said, horror on her face.

Alice laughed. "That's what I thought. I'll just have to stop the girls from flirting with your husband myself."

"I'm sure you will," said Bella, not taking the bait. She winked at me and turned back to her book.

Upstairs in my closet, Alice's tiny hands seized a white garment bag. "How about this one?"

I shook my head and touched her elbow. _Too much._

"This?"

_No. I don't even want to go._

"Too bad. Now, hurry up and choose, I foresee us arriving at three minutes past eleven."

Sighing and feeling sorry for myself, I picked out a pair of jeans, heels, and a lace Dolce and Gabbana top. Alice said, "That works!" and looped a long strand of pearls around my neck. "And don't forget this." She passed me a wool-cashmere peacoat.

Alice wore black silk gaucho pants that made her seem taller, and a black shirt and pale blue belt cinching in her tiny waist. Her hair was done in spikes as usual.

Rosalie waited in the bathroom with an iron, and soon my hair was jagged-edged glorious. "There, now. Have fun. I used to love… I mean, it's good to be the belle of the ball." She gave me a tight smile. I remembered that she used to attend Rochester's high school parties as a human, and would have worn pearls like I did.

I touched her to say thank you.

Alice's eyes glazed over, foreseeing the absence of any traffic cops, and with the all-clear she pushed her yellow Porsche to top speed. We didn't need directions, either, since Alice foresaw turning onto the correct street where the Ullmans lived.

It was a long row of mansions in the same style as our house. There were figures in the road up ahead, and parked cars, and I could hear pounding music and could smell cheap beer and expensive cologne. I could smell Edward and Jacob, too, and Alice swung the Porsche to a stop next to the Aston Martin, a few houses down from the party.

We followed our noses into the house. Edward's comforting honey-like scent was a high note amidst the sour stench of beer. I could smell woodsy werewolf, too, and it put me on a strange sort of edge.

Abby Ullman's house boasted a marble-edged brick walk to the double front doors behind a sprawling Victorian porch. The lights from inside cast bright squares onto the soft manicured lawn. The porch was crowded with people: a pair of girls sitting on a bench, gossiping, clutching red plastic cups. A couple of guys trying to talk to them. One of the bushes below the porch rustled; it was a couple making out rather sloppily.

I grabbed Alice's hand. _I feel like I'm in a movie._

She grinned. "I think this is life imitating art. And the smell is awful." She wrinkled her sensitive nose.

_Except for human_.

"I ate well on Thursday. Besides, their bloodstreams are more alcohol than anything else by now," said Alice, talking too low and fast for anyone to hear her. We entered the crowded house. "Oh, hi, Edward!"

"Hi, Edward!" I echoed. I had to laugh: my dad looked _so_ out of place in the crowd. Too beautiful, too gentlemanly, too… old and married… even though he looked eighteen, there was something indefinable about him that showed his true age.

"This is ridiculous," he said, frowning. "Their thoughts are incoherent. It's giving me a headache. Oh, no, you don't!" he said, as I grabbed a cup of beer off a television tray being paraded past us by some random guy.

"Prop," I explained, pretending to sip. My system reacted about as well to alcohol as Edward's and Alice's would have: no effect and a bad aftertaste. "Ew. It smells gross."

"Where's Jake?" Alice said, asking my question for me.

"Talking to the football team," said Edward, jerking his head toward the back of the house.

I slipped past Edward and Alice. The pop music from the big stereo in the living room was too loud, screeching, and it grated on my hypersensitive ears. Beneath the music I could hear the slight waver of aging electronic connections, a subwoofer that needed replacing, the dancing vibration of the wood fibers in the floorboards every time the drums smashed the air.

People swayed into me. Boys looked me up and down in ways that made me wish Edward wasn't there to read their thoughts. How embarrassing, my dad there to see me getting leered at. _You can't even do anything about it,_ I thought to him.

Actually, he could play the overprotective twin brother like he did in school. _Don't,_ I warned him.

"Heeeey," said a boy from my math class, leaning in with an eager gaze. "You're that girl. The hot one."

"Yep, that's me," I said. "Hot!" On impulse I clasped his hand. To him, my skin would be searing, and to go with it I sent an image and feeling of a bonfire.

He reeled back, his eyes glazed over. "Wow… you're so hot… wanna make out?"

"Nessie." I picked out Edward's under-breath warning from down the hall.

_Sorry._

Over all the racket, my favorite sound called me like a beacon: Jacob's strong animalistic heartbeat. I followed it like a bird who knew its way home.

I stopped behind the threshold of a door. Jacob might be able to smell me, but he couldn't see me from where I stood in the dark hallway.

He was in the kitchen, sitting on the counter between two girls: Abby, and another one with long dark hair and a low-cut halter top. They were laughing appreciatively at everything Jacob said. Several football players surrounded them, including the quarterback, who was blond and handsome (for a human). "So you run?" one of the players said. "But how do you build up muscle?"

"Special protein drink," said Jacob.

I could distinguish Edward's low laugh through the crowded air. Whatever Jacob was thinking must have been funny to him.

"Is there any chance you'd play? I mean, I know it's midseason, but coach'd put you in no question."

"They always send scouts first and last game," another of the players added.

"How fast do you run? Can you catch a ball?"

"I play fetch… I mean, catch, pretty good," said Jacob.

This time, both Alice and Edward laughed from the next room.

"I hope you join the team," said Abby, leaning against Jake. "I'm head cheerleader. I'd cheer extra hard for you."

_I bet you would,_ I thought, the first beginnings of a red rage curling up from my abdomen.

"Wow, Jacob. You're so… warm!" said the other girl, her hand sliding along Jacob's jeans to rest on his knee. I bit my lip furiously; I wished I could bite that girl. She had no right, putting her paws on my… my… friend. "Aren't you burning up?" she asked him.

"Fast metabolism."

As I watched the way they orbited around him, I felt left out. I was a freak, not a human and not a vampire, neither this nor that. I had no friends here aside from my parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles. And Jacob was rightfully the center of adoring attention from these humans, who felt the heat radiating off his superhuman strength as though he was sunshine embodied. The boys were admiring and grudgingly jealous. The girls slunk into the space around him in the classic posture of seductive defenselessness.

Jacob didn't need to protect me anymore. I was no longer the tiny child he'd once looked after. Since I was a baby he'd been there, like a… big brother, I guess, or a best friend. Okay, so I knew about the _imprinting _thing. It had been explained to me, even though it needed no explanation because the bond was obvious, as natural as breathing. Sometimes the relationship was romantic. Other times, it was a guardianship. Other times, as with Quil and Claire, it was very brother-sister. That was like Jacob and me.

_He's not my brother,_ my mind insisted, pleading with itself on behalf of the growing feelings I couldn't ignore.

I watched Abby look at Jacob from under her lashes, shrinking her shoulders, crossing her legs toward him.

_Mating behavior,_ thought the part of my brain that hunted the local wildlife.

Jacob responded. Of course he did, he was a male. His arms were flung behind him on the countertop, arching just slightly around the waists of the girls. His face was tilted toward Abby in a position of condescension, but that only made him look more powerful, more attractive.

And boy, did she know it.

In a glittering moment of understanding, I saw everything that was wrong about me. I was not weak, not defenseless, not fragile. There was nothing about me to draw the attention of a man, at least not one who would stick around. Guys _liked_ to defend helpless creatures. That was how my mom and dad had started out. And Carlisle had changed Esme, the wounded beautiful bird, saving her life. Jasper could protect tiny Alice. Emmett was Rosalie's strength.

Me? I'd been born just a little too perfect. The girl who has everything. What man would see a needful thing in me?

Someday, I knew, Jacob would use his powers of protection for a pretty, human girl. And I would be left on the threshold of this door, clutching the frame, watching it all from the shadows.

A cold, worried hand touched my shoulder. _Leave me alone,_ I snarled my thoughts at Edward.

He jerked back, surprised. His motion was too fast, too vampire-like. He needed to be more careful.

I whirled around and pushed past him, nudging my way through the crowd, trying not to break anyone's ribs in my rush to get out. I hated humans. I hated this façade where I could never fit in. I hated their normality and insecurity and innocence. I was the Loch Ness Monster who didn't need a living soul, much as I wanted to _need him._

"Nessie! Ness, wait!" Alice wanted to run, I could tell, but she held her pace at just slightly supernormal.

I kept walking toward the Porsche. And where was Edward all this time? He was supposed to keep those drippy girls away from my Jacob. I hated him, too.

Another girl was walking away from the party, thick tears dropping from her eyes. I could almost sympathize, except that whoever she was crying over, he was mundane like her. Not a crazy handsome werewolf tribe leader who had a smile that could melt an icecap.

"Ness."

I turned my face away from Alice. I didn't feel like talking.

"Sheesh. You really take after your dad, you know it?" She unlocked the doors. "And we thought Edward was an overreactor."

"I want to go home," I said.

Sighing, Alice said, "And with your hair looking so nice. He didn't even get to see you."

"I don't know who you're talking about." Oh, but who was I fooling? The entire family would know everything, as usual. No secrets in the Cullen family. Despite the crisp night air, I felt stifled and claustrophobic at the prospect of sympathy from Bella and Esme, of teasing from Emmett, of bafflement from Rosalie, of understanding from Carlisle. I just wanted to be alone.

Alice was quiet as we drove home. "You know he doesn't –"

"Alice, I mean it, please."

At home I went straight to my room and locked the door behind me. That wouldn't do a thing to keep any of us monsters contained, but it was more psychological. I scowled into my full-length mirror. My hair _did _look good. Too bad. I yanked off my top, kicked off the heels, and pulled on a tight dark brown sweater over my lace bra. I chose tan-colored knee boots and shoved the hems of my jeans into the soft leather. Then I opened the window, felt the cold breeze on my face, and climbed onto the ledge.

I perched there for a moment like a gargoyle. I could see through the tops of the trees and the clouds were breaking up to reveal thick clusters of stars. All the world seemed so open to me. I sensed the weight of my family's worry at my back, and I felt pushed forward by it.

Also, I didn't want to be in the house with my dad once he got home. I knew he tried to ignore our thoughts as best he could, giving us privacy, but I didn't feel like guarding my mind right now. I needed to be able to think, and think hard.

I stepped off the ledge and into space. My feet landed softly on the ground and within a few seconds I was pulling out of the garage in my Jaguar, then ripping down the driveway and toward Esme's haunted house.

* * *

_Thank you for all reviews!!_


	6. Imprinted

**Author's Notes:** back to regularly scheduled programming! Things heat up in this chapter. Plus Edward gets all awkward. Mega thanks to all reviewers: _MiissColly, vampire_GURL_299, Sara, blackcat05, la-la-la-45, atwimom, Emmalee, julia, _and _emma_!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_Imprinted_

Shrugging off the memories of the awful human party, I tried to focus on something other than the way Abby Ullman looked at Jacob. So, I did the work for Jasper, running through the Interpol lists of missing people, and set the final result printing. I had tons of paper, and I would need it. Jasper's well-trained eyes would be able to see and remember any patterns in the list.

Next I checked my email. PeuChen91 had not written back. This set off a vague note of alarm. I sent her a new message: "_Do you mean the hacker Mendel? And where are you? Are you all right?_"

Meanwhile, Devi and Silvius were in our D&D chatroom. I was happy to see them; they were totally removed from my life. There was no drama there. Our conversation scrolled down my screen.

_**Morphette**__: you guys know where PeuChen91 is?_

_**Devi**__: no_

_**Silvius**__: fighting monsters with some other group?_

_**Morphette**__: traitor! lol_

_**Devi**__: you find more about Mendel?_

_**Morphette**__: nada_

_**Devi**__: i did. You won't believe this. the cyberterror division of the French police have a file on him. They're sure he's based out of South America. Apparently he stole a huge amount of data: DNA records from the criminal databases in Europe._

_**Morphette**__: weird!_

_**Silvius**__: maybe he's cloning human beings_

_**Devi**__: or creating a super race, acha_

_**Silvius**__: maybe he's a Nazi_

_**Morphette**__: guys, what if PeuChen's involved? I hope she's okay!_

It was all very strange… and I felt almost the way Jasper had described. Like there was something there, something my intuition was telling me, but that didn't make sense yet.

Still, tracking Mendel could only be a good idea. Over the next hour I wrote a program to ping me whenever an unauthorized connection tried to enter medical records at the world's centralized databases: the EU Cooperative health care system, the National Health Service in Britain, all of them. Maybe this Mendel was a doctor. Maybe there was something significant to his name. If he made a move on anything medical-related, I would know about it.

I stood up to close the window – I liked to keep the room cool, it helped my computer run faster – and some instinct made me freeze. I stared out into the darkness. The wind ruffled the fine hairs on my arm.

I took a cautious sniff.

_Wolf._ _Fantastic._

I slammed the window down, knowing he would hear it, hoping he would stay away. The anger from earlier was back with a vengeance.

I turned off the light, too. Maybe he would just run around in the woods.

As I sat in the darkened room in a run-down house, completely alone, I could understand why no one had wanted to restore it before now. There was a definite creepy vibe. The house had a voice of its own, groaning with every shift of the wind, and micro-drafts whistled through the walls. It was like the house was alive.

Quite unlike its former inhabitants. I wondered what they'd seen and thought in their last moments. This had been the master bedroom; did the vampire take the parents somewhere else? Or did he feast on them right here, killing them as they slept in this very bed that I sat on now?

I hoped the vampire had been quick about his business. If he'd eaten all three of them, he must have been hungry… but one full grown human was enough to fill the dead veins of a vampire. Three seemed excessive.

I really, really hoped that he hadn't toyed with the family.

_Why am I even thinking about this?_ I wondered. _It doesn't matter. It's ancient history_. _As pointless as wondering if the cat played with the mouse._

Outside, the gentle padding of four paws turned into two human feet on the grass.

_Great. He's coming in._ I sat on the edge of the bed, back straight. I had no idea where this new reluctance came from; up until now, Jacob and I had been like peanut butter and jelly. A perfect blend. Conflict between us had seemed impossible.

Stupid Rochester. I was starting to wonder if imprinting only worked with the pack nearby, on the reservation, the land where it all started. Nothing between Jacob and I had been quite right since we moved. Now, I feared seeing him. I didn't know what my jealousy meant, or how he saw me, or why there was this new energy insinuating itself into our happy days.

My body was tense as a high-voltage wire when Jacob stepped in downstairs. He was barefoot, I could tell. His steps were slow and steady up the creaky stairs.

I swallowed hard. What if Jacob was only meant to protect me until I was grown up and independent? What if he was too homesick to stay here? What if… if he'd kissed Abby? The prospect of him kissing some human girl was enough to make me want to curl up, or punch something.

My head fell forward, straining against my rigid neck.

Jacob was in the doorway just like I had been at that dumb party.

"Ness," he said, his voice breaking slightly.

I was silent.

"Are you okay? What are you doing here in the dark? Edward told me that you were upset…" He stepped forward – he wore only jeans, with a bare chest – and knelt in front of me.

Looking into Jacob's face in the darkness, I was overcome. I didn't care what he thought of me. I needed to tell him how I felt.

I seized his bare shoulders with my hands and poured out everything, venom and love and questions and regrets. It was a broken dam, a river of thought that crashed into his mind, and his muscles tensed and he gasped.

It was all there for him to see. The strain since moving to Rochester. The uncertainty, the possessiveness, and most especially the inadequacy. That I wasn't lovable, because I wasn't that fairy-tale princess who needed rescuing. That I couldn't compete with the inevitable future: that he would be paired off, and there I would remain, Renesmee Cullen, Odd One Out.

Jacob jumped back out of reach. His breathing was fast and I waited, stock-still, for his reaction to catch up with him.

The air was heavy. Like my thoughts were things, still strung out between us. I wished I knew what was in his mind.

"Jacob, say something," I finally pleaded aloud.

He stepped toward me. "Nessie, I… Okay. First. Those girls at the party? Do you really think I would even consider – those girls! The two of them together have the IQ of a turnip."

A choke of a laugh escaped my throat.

"And that I would ever leave you, or… or ever _could._ I couldn't. You know that, Ness. You and me are together forever."

My hand touched the smooth muscle of his shoulder. _Are we_?

"Yes!"

_I don't like feeling this way about my best friend._

"We're not best friends," Jacob said.

My heart squeezed into a dreadful, slow beat. I lifted my hand away from his shoulder.

"Best friends don't think about each other all day, every day," he said. "They don't feel physical pain when they're apart. They don't share everything… everything."

Somewhere outside, a coyote howled, alone under the cold starlight.

"Best friends," Jacob whispered through the darkness, "don't do this." He threaded his fingers through mine.

I stopped breathing. _What…_?

"Best friends," he continued, "don't do this." He leaned his face forward, so close to mine that I could feel the heat shimmering off his skin, and the smell of pine and fur and musk… an intoxicating rich, masculine scent that made me think of fires and caves and animalistic shapes in darkness… "Is this what you want?" he asked. He was unsmiling, his mouth a hard slash, but his eyes were bright.

_Yes. _My thought was more of a moan.

Our lips met, crashed together. I melted forward into his arms. His kiss was heated, earnest, and the only true thing in the world. My reactions poured out through my palms as my hands roamed over the smooth bare skin of his arms, his chest, his abdomen. He leaned forward further and I pressed myself up against him, leaving no room between us. I shuddered as his lips moved along my jaw and down to the hollow of my throat.

"Oh, Jake," I sighed aloud.

"Ness…" he whispered, a hiss that tickled against my skin. He pushed me backward and we rolled into an embrace on the antique bed. I ended up on top, my head resting on his strong chest, my hair fanned out into his hand as he supported me. His other hand made soothing circles on the small of my back.

For a long time we just laid there, drinking in the change. I felt molded to him, as though Renesmee Cullen were a puzzle piece that only fit with Jacob Black, curve for curve, edge for edge.

_Jacob?_

"Yeah?"

_What does this mean?_

"It means I've waited way too long to do that."

_You wanted to?_

"Like you wouldn't believe."

The thought of him fantasizing about me sent a shiver down my spine; I pressed myself impossibly closer to him.

_Edward must have known…_

"He hates me," Jacob said with a laugh.

I smiled. _Do you think the rest of my family is going to be weird about this?_

"They're expecting it. Alice has been downright annoying, trying to get me to make some kind of move."

I giggled. How like Alice. _But I don't understand._ I recycled through a lifetime of memories. Us playing catch, cooking together, playing board games, working on cars. Him, carrying me on his shoulders, walking on First Beach. Building sand castles. Him, helping me tie my first pair of shoes. _Like a big brother._ Us competing in a video game, teasing, racing through the forest, hunting, taking down a pair of grizzly bears. _Like a friend_. _How long have you wanted to kiss me_?

I felt, rather than saw, his smile in the darkness. His arms tightened around me. "You're right, about how things changed away from Forks. Back there, I was what you needed me to be. Your guardian and friend. But here, it's like there's freedom to change those roles. I… it was on your birthday that I really felt it. You walked in wearing that dress, the way it clung to you… and those heels made your legs look…" He broke off, as though shy.

My heart went into overdrive. He was _attracted _to me.

I guessed that lying next to him, arms entwined, made my mind pretty much an open book. Everything I felt and wanted, he could see it. I suddenly realized how… easy, how good… this might make certain activities.

Jacob's laugh was a low rumble in his chest.

_Oh, drat. _I pulled away. "Eavesdropper!" I accused him.

"Hey, you thought it."

"I'm glad you think I'm pretty," I said, curling back into his arms.

"Not pretty. Beautiful."

I wanted him to run his hand up and down my spine and I'd barely formed the wish when he did. I purred. _I purred_? _Sheesh._ _I'm easily placated._

Jacob laughed.

_Is this what imprinting really means?_ I wondered. My memories were infused with a new meaning, a new possibility. _Have you always known that this would happen?_ I was surprised at the accusatory note in my thoughts.

"No," said Jacob, a little too quickly. "I mean, I'll always be what you need me to be. If you didn't want this, I'd be happy – more than happy – to just be your friend, your guardian, whatever. We have a choice, you know." Yet, there was uncertainty in his voice that echoed mine.

_But all of your pack, the ones who've imprinted, its always ended up like this, right? Sam and Emily, Paul and Rachel, Jared and Kim… _

"Yeah, I guess it has."

_So we don't have a choice._ I wasn't sure if I liked this idea or not. On the one hand, laying in Jacob's arms, I couldn't imagine anything better. I was fevered with his presence. My own body had a very definite idea about what it wanted from Jacob.

On the other hand, though… I didn't like the idea of inevitability. It was like having a marriage arranged from birth. I wrote computer programs, outlined the pathways, ordered the functions, all laid out from conception. A computer program did what it was told. It had no free will to do anything else other than follow its creator's instruction. I didn't like feeling as though I were programmed to love Jacob and no other, to fall into an automatic marriage with him.

_Mendel_, I thought suddenly. _Genetics? Predestiny? _

Jacob listened to my train of thought. "I don't know, either," he said softly. "I think we should just… take this slowly. After all, we have forever."

_That's what worries me._ I slid up so that I hovered above his face. My body lifted with every deep breath he took. His hands held my waist in a firm grip.

I couldn't help it. I closed the distance between us and kissed him, sighing into his mouth, totally content.

Later, I remembered to grab the missing persons list for Jasper before driving home. Jacob rode with me. "Stay at our house tonight," I said.

There was a guest bedroom on the second floor, next to Carlisle and Esme's room.

"Edward's not going to like the thoughts I'll be having about you."

I grinned and touched Jacob's hand. _Serves him right for listening._

"He won't like the dreams I hope to have, either."

_Yeah, well, life's about to get more difficult for my dad._

Jacob grinned back at me.

We pulled into the drive of the big Victorian house and Edward was already waiting for us on the porch. His arms were crossed and I could see the scowl on his face. His eyes tracked us carefully. The only thing missing from the picture was a shotgun in his hands.

I waved big as I drew the Jaguar into the eight-car garage.

_Jacob's staying over, is that okay?_ I thought as we walked toward Edward. My dad's eyes narrowed in on the way Jacob's hand lingered between my shoulder blades. I was positive he could read the change in our mental climate. _And so what?_ I thought.

"Of course, Jacob, you're more than welcome," Edward said. "I'll tell Bella to open up the _guest room_ for you."

"Thanks, Edward," said Jacob. They stood facing each other for a few tense moments.

_Dad, don't be weird, please_, I thought.

Edward's eyes cut to me. I could almost read his thoughts, too, and they were along the lines of "Don't try anything funny, young lady."

His mouth quirked. I was right.

"Oh, hey, Jake," said Bella, popping her head out the door. "Nessie? Are you okay? Alice said…"

"I'm good, yeah," I said. "Just… overreacted to something. Dumb humans."

"Love, would you make up the dog bed – I'm sorry, the guest room – for Jacob?" Edward said.

"I can just sleep on the porch, you know, guard the door if you'd prefer," Jacob said.

"Oh, honestly," said Bella, rolling her eyes. "Ness, why don't you do it? I'm sure Jacob prefers your scent to ours."

"Especially on my sheets," said Jacob.

Edward growled. I giggled.

Inside, we saw Rosalie in the dining room with Emmett, playing a card game. She sniffed. "Oh, it's the teenage werewolf. I thought I smelled something."

"Good to see you, too, Blondie."

Upstairs, the door to Carlisle's office was open and he was at his desk, reading some medical journal. He glanced up and, seeing me with an armful of spare blankets and Jacob trailing behind me, he smiled slightly before turning back to his work.

Edward hovered like a mosquito as I said goodnight to Jacob. I purposefully guarded my thoughts from the memory of The Kiss, and our conversation, and kept myself in the moment. I hoped Jacob was doing the same.

Jacob took my hand. "Goodnight, Ness." His thumb rubbed a small circle on my palm.

I knew my face was alight as I wished him a good sleep.

As soon as the door was closed, Edward said, "Can we talk to you for a minute before bed, Nessie?"

"Sure. Who's we?"

"Your mother and I."

I gulped. Great. A talk. I'd had these before. The worst had been the "facts of life" speech when I turned seven. Edward had been so embarrassed and Bella so reticent that, after several attempts, they'd foisted the task onto Alice and Rosalie. They discovered that I already knew the facts of life, thank you very much, and instead of getting too serious about it, we'd spent the evening taking magazine quizzes on things like "Your Kissing Style" and "What's Your Bedroom Personality."

My results had been "sensitive" and "direct", respectively.

Edward headed for the rooms he shared with Bella, and in their sitting room I found my mother, standing still as a statue. They didn't bother acting too human in this part of the house.

"What's up?" I said, sitting in an armchair.

Edward touched Bella's hand and pulled her down to sit next to him on the pale blue sofa. "We just thought it was time we talked about dating."

"Oh." I raised my eyebrows. I wasn't going to make this easy on them.

Bella looked a bit more understanding, but she glanced at Edward before saying, "Honey, we know that you've been grown up for almost ten years now. It's just that you have a long, long life ahead of you, and we want you to know that there's no rush. For anything."

"I think it's best if you don't date anyone until you're eighteen," said Edward.

My jaw dropped. "What!"

Bella looked at Edward again, nervous. "What he means is that you shouldn't feel any sense of urgency."

"About Jacob?"

Their stares told me yes.

"Oh, whatever, Dad. You know about imprinting. And like Mom said, I've been grown up for a decade."

"Not according to the law."

"The law? Does the law cover vampire-human hybrids with accelerated growth rates?" I was feeling a little huffy. I didn't like being forced into things, and found myself defending one evil, imprinting, from another, my father's set of rules.

Edward said, "I think it's best if Jacob – who, by the way, is thirty-three years old – just remains friends with you for now. You're only sixteen."

I spluttered, trying to form my indignation into a coherent thought. "Oh… Oh! Mom, how old were you when you guys started dating? Huh?"

"I was seventeen," Bella admitted.

"And how old were you?" I asked Edward.

"He was one hundred and seven," Bella supplied.

"Some age difference. And she was my age," I said, pointing at my mother.

"Sixteen isn't what it used to be!" Edward said.

"Give me a _break_."

"She's right, darling," Bella said with a soft touch on Edward's arm.

Edward leaned forward, looking very serious. "Renesmee, you know we just want what's best for you. I want you to take your time and decide what you want. Don't feel like you have to… run off and get married, or anything."

"Like the two of you did?" I couldn't help saying.

"Now, we love Jacob almost as much as you do," Bella said. "He's one of the family already. But just because he's _imprinted_ on you," she said the word like it bugged her, "that doesn't mean you have to be romantic right away. Or ever."

This was touching a little too close to the exact thoughts I'd had earlier. I'd better end this conversation before I started remembering about the rest of my night and Edward really blew his top.

"Okay," I said softly. "I know that. I just… things are what they are, you know? And I'm not going to elope with Jacob. I promise."

"You'd better not. Alice would never forgive you," said Bella. Edward smiled, too, undoubtedly thinking of the things Alice had planned for my eventual wedding party.

I kissed my parents goodnight and waved to Carlisle in his office on my way to the third floor. I was in my cutest set of pajamas in a flash – a satin chemise and pants set – knowing that I would be seeing Jacob in the morning. But as I lay in bed, trying to sleep as the sun edged up in the east, I wondered in what context I really wanted Jacob there for me every morning, ever after.

As I drifted into sleep, all I could decide was that my body said one thing (_yes_) and my mind said another (_wait_).

* * *

_Thx for reading and reviewing!!_


	7. Vanished

**Author's Notes:** Many thanks to reviewers _la-la-la-45, adptt12, emma, _and _KMT06055_!!! and to the latter, yay for North and South - that John Thornton gives Mr. Darcy a run for his money! *fans self*

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_Vanished_

The snow drifted down in thick, heavy clumps, blanketing the ground with pure glistening sparkles. It looked like vampire skin under the moonlight. It was the first major snowfall of the year, and Bella was delighted, because Charlie, Sue, Seth, and Leah would be arriving tomorrow for Christmas. It was mid-December already and the last day of school before the holiday.

I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of chimpanzee blood and popped it in the microwave. That one had been Jacob's idea. After an unfortunate incident a few years ago, when we were visiting the Denalis in Alaska, Jasper had very nearly lost it in public when a young child slipped on a patch of ice, gashing his knee. Jasper had been overdue to hunt, eyes black with thirst. It was Alice's last minute warning that had saved the day as usual.

Jasper had been so ashamed of himself for the close call. He was still working on that whole mind-over-matter thing.

And then, Jacob was pretty sensitive over the whole Cullen-Quileute treaty thing. He tolerated certain members of the family only because they were, at heart, "good" vampires. Any human life lost, even by accident and overwhelming thirst, would have put a real damper on our big happy inter-species family.

Jacob had asked Edward why we couldn't store blood the way we did when I was a baby. Keep it on hand, just for emergencies, so that no one's thirst could get out of hand.

Edward had explained how difficult it was to purchase donated blood in such quantities, even for a doctor, and how that would diminish the supply needed for living humans. Also, it would turn their eyes a socially unacceptable red.

Then Jacob had asked about storing animal blood, the kind that was ninety-eight percent similar to humans: that of apes.

Carlisle had lit up like a beacon, saying "I can't believe we didn't think of this before."

Jacob had spread his hands and said, "That's why they pay me the big bucks!"

So, we ordered quantities of blood from non-endangered, died-of-natural-causes orangutans, chimps, gorillas, and other smaller apes from medical testing facilities. We kept a tank of it refrigerated on dry ice in Edward's car when Jasper was at school, just in case. And we kept it in the fridge (in opaque glass, of course).

I wasn't supposed to drink it but every once in awhile. "To my health," I said to myself.

It was close enough to human blood that on the rare occasions my family drank it, it gave their golden eyes an odd tinge, the color of peaches.

The microwave beeped and I grabbed my warm cup and sat down at the kitchen table, looking out on the fresh morning snow that glowed in the dark. I heard Jacob's motorcycle out front; he'd been coming over for breakfast almost every day.

"Morning, Nessie!" said Esme, opening a cabinet and taking out a frying pan. "What do you think he'll want for breakfast? Pancakes?"

"Did I hear something about pancakes?" Jacob stood in the doorway, leather jacket slung over one shoulder.

"Eggs with that? You need protein," said Esme.

"Yes, Mom," he said, joking, and Esme beamed. He turned to me. "Blood today, Ness? Gross."

"Mmm," I said, taking a long gulp and licking my reddened lips. "Like the finest wine."

"And at six in the morning. Shame on you." Jacob pulled out a chair and dropped down next to me. His hand stole under the table and rubbed my knee. I bit my lip against the pleasure of it. "Pretty morning."

"Snowball fight!" said Emmett, sticking his head in the room. "You two are about to get _served_."

"That's what you think," said Jacob. "Oh, thanks, Esme," he said as she sat two plates in front of him, one with a huge stack of buttermilk pancakes, the other with scrambled eggs.

"Let's put off the fight until tomorrow," I said. "Seth and Leah, 'member? They'll want their chance to wallop Emmett."

Jacob grinned. He'd been away from his pack too long. Although he communicated with them every day when he was phased, it wasn't the same as having them near.

"You're like a dog without a family," I said, turning my lips into a mock pout and rubbing his arm in sympathy.

"And what are we, cold toast?" said Emmett.

"Cold _ones_," Jacob corrected.

"Brrrr," I added.

"I'll tell you what's _brrrr_," said Emmett, "being buried in snowballs."

"I'll melt them away," said Jacob. That was probably true.

"Contributing to global warming?" said Edward, appearing behind Emmett.

"We throw better snowballs than you guys," I said. "Our hands melt the outside into that nice, aerodynamic, icy crust. Sorry, but it just doesn't compare."

"We'll see about that." Emmett held that familiar glint of a challenge in his eye.

Jacob polished off his breakfast and I drained my cup, washing it out in the sink. All the rest of my family had hunted yesterday, Thursday, because it had been the sunny day before the snowstorm, and also because we were about to host humans in the house.

We formed a convoy on the way to school: Edward, Emmett, and Jasper in the Volvo at the front, then Jacob on his Harley, then we girls in Rosalie's M3. There was little traffic on the road on account of the fresh snow. The plows were still asleep, apparently.

This was upstate New York, used to winter weather, so there was no snow day as there might have been in Forks. We pulled into the parking lot earlier than most of the students, though; Emmett tried to start something by flinging snow at Rosalie. She didn't take the bait, shrieking about her hair.

Jacob got a wicked grin and, pretending to drop something in the snow, formed a perfect snowball and hit her from behind, straight on the back of the head.

"Mongrel," Rosalie snarled, "You are going to pay for that."

"How, exactly?" Jacob taunted.

Rosalie scowled prettily. "It's a surprise."

"Ha!" said Edward. "You just don't know." When it came to Rosalie versus Jacob, Edward tended to take Jacob's side.

"Oh, stop showing off, Edward," said Rosalie, and stomped through the snow toward the school, followed by Emmett, who gave Jacob a thumbs-up behind her back.

The rest of them walked ahead, too confident of their grace to be human. It was no wonder that the other students kept their distance from the Cullen family. For all their beauty and fashion, I could see that our unnatural poise would be creepy.

Jacob and I were left standing by his motorcycle. He took both my hands and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Ten bucks and a kiss says I can beat you in a thumb war at lunch."

_A kiss, huh? You trying to make me lose on purpose_? My stomach did loops as he stepped closer, tugging my arms so they went around his waist.

"That's why I added the ten bucks," he said.

_Do I get to kiss you if _I _win_?

"You'd better." His lips were so close to me that I could feel the swirl of his warm breath in the folds of my ear.

"Hi, Jake!" A perky voice interrupted our moment. I turned to glare at Abby Ullman as she clicked the button to lock her silver Mercedes. She wore a pink puff jacket with a grey fur collar. It looked and smelled suspiciously like wolf fur to me.

"Hi, Abby," Jacob said. It had gotten out of hand, Abby's blatant efforts to both get Jacob on the football team (thus raising his coolness factor) and also to get him to ask her out. Jacob was amused by it; I was not so much.

"That's a beautiful coat," I said, to draw Jacob's attention to its probable origins. One thing observing high school had taught me was how to backbite with a compliment.

"Uh, thanks," said Abby, no fool as to what I meant. "Renessa, isn't it?"

"Nessie."

"Oh, that's right," Abby laughed. "Like the lake monster. How precious."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Jacob thinks so."

Jacob looked from one of us to the other, bewildered. _Out of your depth, Jake,_ I thought to him through my hands. _We're having a fight_.

This made his brow crease even further.

"Seriously, though, Abby, I love the coat. Where'd you find it?"

"Barney's," she said, petting the fur collar with one bejeweled hand. "That's in New York City."

"Is it real?"

"Duh! I don't wear fake anything."

_Except your smile_, I thought. "It's gorgeous. What kind of fur?"

"Grey desert wolf," Abby said. "Wolves are a menace, I'm doing the world a favor."

I grinned; Jacob looked disgusted. He stared at Abby with a hard mixture of disdain, anger, and irritation at her lack of compassion. "Too bad you feel that way," he said.

Abby blinked and looked at him, as though just remembering that he was the reason she and I had been tangling for dominance. "Um, anyway," she said after an awkward silence. "See you in class, Jake."

Jacob and I walked hand-in-hand through the school doors.

Even for immortal vampires, werewolves, and hybrids, the Christmas holiday excitement was in the air to coincide with the snow. Our teachers didn't try very hard to keep order, so in homeroom Chemistry, I chattered under my breath to Alice about the gifts we'd gotten our family. The two ditzy girls in front of us scribbled notes back and forth the entire period. Mr. Morris, the teacher, spoke half-heartedly about the dismal quality of the lab reports we'd be getting back today; he sounded like he needed a vacation, too.

Alice and I got an A on our report, of course. Alice could foresee the correct answers.

I grasped Alice's wrist and said, _I can't wait to see how Jacob reacts._

"Me, too!" she said.

Although it used to really bother Alice how she couldn't see my future or that of the shapeshifters, especially in those more dangerous times of sixteen years ago, sometimes she enjoyed the small surprises, like the reaction to a gift. It would get old, seeing everything ahead of time and not living in the moment.

As for Jacob's reaction… it was a joint gift from my parents and me, an engine to top all engines, in desperate need of restoration. Not a car, not a motorcycle… but a genuine World War Two-era Messerschmidt jet engine. It had been discovered rusting away in an old barn in Germany and sold at auction. Jacob was going to love it, I knew it.

It wasn't a very romantic gift, though. I should think of something more personal to give him, something that could only come from me, in addition to the jet engine.

_We're a weird family_, I thought.

Alice nodded enthusiastically.

In English class we had a reading day, so I relaxed into my chair and enjoyed _Emma_ for the umpteenth time. Next to me, Bella read out of her own copy, posed like a human leaning on her elbow with her hand supporting her head. Once in awhile she would glance at me and smile.

Once in awhile, I would touch her wrist and think, _Charlie!_ _And Seth_!

At lunch, Jacob and I sat next to each other. "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" we chanted in unison. To the encouragement of my family, I put up a good fight, but Jacob won.

We must have looked so human in that moment… and I felt a thrill thinking about the private moment when I would give Jacob his victor's reward.

Silly that we needed thumb wars as an excuse for a kiss, but like we'd agreed, we were taking things slowly. One kiss a day. No more, but no less. I was terrified of losing Jacob and I knew that if I felt forced into something, I would freak out and ruin everything. We were in murky territory. I didn't want to make a wrong step in an eternal direction.

Finally, last period, and the last time I would have to see Mr. Zuchman in this calendar year. I stared with loathing at the way his stringy hair was combed across his bald spot. He was slumped in front of his computer at the front of the room, the picture of human incompetence, and I repressed a tingling wave of impatience.

I clicked out of the article he was making us read on the origins of Fortran computer language. _Boring_. Instead I wrote a quick program to scan the spiking activities of signals originating in South America. The mystery of Mendel was unsolved, and I still hadn't heard from my friend PeuChen91. Only half paying attention, I entered my encrypted email account… and sat straight up in my chair.

It was from PeuChen91. The subject line was "_help_."

Glancing around to make sure no one had noticed my reaction – Zuchman was almost asleep, the kid next to me was playing Solitaire, and Abby was punching something into her glossy phone – I opened the email.

_I've been looking for Mendel. I thought he was near me, here in Rio. I was right. _

_I think he's found me. _

_This is all I can give you. He's hunting me down, sniffing me out, and when he does, something really bad's going to happen. I wish I could tell you more. Just that I think he's worse than a hacker._

_I've attached the lines of code I was able to copy off his hard drive before he spiked me. Maybe it'll give you a clue._

_DON'T go after him yourself. Go to the authorities. _

_If you don't hear from me soon, you'll know why. _

_Guys, be careful._

_Signing off,_

_PeuChen91._

_[Attachment] mendelfiles . zip_

I stared in disbelief. Whatwas going on down in Brazil? I was paralyzed with worry for my friend. I'd never met her, didn't even know her real name, but she needed my help. We were allies in the war against governments and the suppression of information, against the hackers and crackers that wanted to damage the system, even against the pixilated demons and monsters of our online gaming. I couldn't let this go. And she was a vulnerable human… all kinds of bad things might happen to her.

I saw that she'd sent the message to me, Silvius, and DeviDiva. I cc'd them my response.

_PeuChen91. You need to go to the police if you think you're in danger. _

I bit my lip, thinking of other connections I had in South America. I wished there was some way to get in contact with the Amazon coven. I knew that Zafrina and her sisters would help me, but they were wild women, living in the deepest forest. There was no way to reach them in time. Sighing, I knew we would have to go the traditional route.

_Tell the police you feel endangered by an online stalker. They take those things seriously these days. Let us know that you're ok. I'll be working on this code._

_Please write back._

_Morphette._

I clicked the send button. As soon as I did, an error message came back to me. Mouth dry, I saw that PeuChen91's account had been closed. The message was undelivered.

I jumped when the final bell rang. Closing out all my programs and shutting down access from that computer, I grabbed my bag and ran over to Jacob on our way out the door. "I need to do some work," I said. "Are you going home with them?" I nodded in the direction of Edward and Bella walking hand-in-hand down the hall ahead of us. Edward's bronze hair stood out in a crowd.

Jacob nodded. "I could come with you if you need help. Or moral support?" There was hope in his voice.

_Okay, but I don't have time for shenanigans, Jacob. _

He chortled and promised to be good and not distract me.

_And I guess I could use a ride on your motorcycle._

"I knew you had some ulterior motive."

The freezing wind laced its icy fingers through my hair as I rode behind Jacob on the roaring Harley. It felt nice, as though the breeze was clearing any clutter out of my head.

The haunted house was hunkered down in the snow, drifts piling up on the porch and along the windows. It looked utterly neglected. No one would ever have guessed that I was running a world-class computer in there.

Jacob vanished into the woods to run as a wolf for awhile; he wanted to double-check the Clearwaters' arrival time tomorrow. It was easier than calling. I dashed up the stairs and dropped my bag onto the floor, swinging into my chair.

Typing fast, I did something I'd never done before. I traced PeuChen91's screen name and server, trying to find her address. This was seriously not okay in the world of online gaming, because it was too stalker-ish and illegal and showed mistrust of friends. I was certain she wouldn't mind in these circumstances, though.

My tracing program took some minutes to run. My fingers drummed impatiently along the edge of the desk. I watched as the signal bounced from place to place, through filters and foreign cities. PeuChen91 was hard to find. I was surprised that Mendel had found her physical location, if in fact he had.

Sitting back in my chair, I thought about this. It was very unusual for our online activities to turn into real physical danger.

PeuChen91 must have found something big.

While the trace ran, I downloaded the lines of code that she'd gotten from Mendel and made multiple backups. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

_Boop_. The computer made a satisfied noise. "Trace complete," it said.

PeuChen91's home system was on the outskirts of Rio, in a suburb called Belford Roxo. I memorized the street address and the map. Then I found the landline telephone for that address. Breathing fast, I used an encrypted program to call the number.

It rang for ten minutes. No answer.

"Hey," said Jacob from behind me. I'd been so absorbed that I hadn't realized he was back in human form. "How's it going?"  
"I don't know," I sighed. "One of my online friends has gone missing."

Jacob's hand was on my shoulder. "That's weird."

_I'm worried about her. Humans are so… fragile._

"Maybe she's just taking a break – like she took a nerd antidote pill or something and she's doing real-life stuff."

_No, she sent me a message._ I pulled up PeuChen91's last communication.

Jacob whistled. "Okay, that does sound a little serious."

_Not much I can do, though, except wait and pray._

His hand squeezed my shoulder. "We better get going. It's dark already and I know Bells will want our help getting ready for tomorrow."

I was supposed to be making a welcome-to-Rochester quiche and doing all the cooking while Charlie and the Clearwaters were staying with us, because Leah wouldn't eat food cooked by leeches, and gave me a pass only because I was Jacob's Almighty Imprinted One.

As I stood up, Jacob didn't move back, and we were toe-to-toe. I looked up into his eyes.

He raised his hands to cradle my head and neck. "Ness…"

My skin was flushed and I rolled my head into his touch. The tiny hairs on the nape of my neck tingled. I tilted my face up, lips open, wondering if he was going to kiss me…

"Part of my thumb war victory," he said. "You have no choice."

I stiffened. _No choice…_

Jacob must have realized this was the wrong thing to say, because he bent down quickly and covered my mouth with his. Trying, I was sure, to distract me. I was distracted. _Shoot,_ but he was a good kisser. So confident in himself, so completely masculine.

I hoped I was feminine enough to make this last. All I wanted was for him to seize me in his strong arms and kiss me, my lips and neck and throat and…

He was doing those things even as I thought them.

We were a little bit late getting home.

Jacob dropped me off on his motorcycle and I hugged him from behind, planting a soft kiss behind his ear.

"Good night, Rapunzel," he murmured.

_Except I can jump down from my tower._

"I'll keep that in mind."

I skipped into the house, waving as Jacob drove off, but got serious when I found Alice at her vanity table. She was sketching a cocktail dress. "Hi, Nessie," she said, showing me her drawing of a long fishtail skirt and a draped sleeve. "What do you think? Too old-fashioned?"

"No, it's beautiful," I said. "Can I ask you to look at something for me?"

"Of course." Alice set her pen down.

"It's about a friend of mine – a girl in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro. She's one of my online friends, I've known her for years, but I have no idea what she looks like, so no picture. Anyway, she's sort of… gone missing. Can you tell me if she's okay?"

Alice's tiny features were serious. "I can try, but since I don't know her at all, and you don't know her…"

"I know it's iffy. I just feel like I should do something."

"Okay. What's her name?"

"PeuChen91."

Alice stared.

"That's her handle. That's all I know."

Nodding, Alice closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were distant, somewhere else. Brazil, I hoped. Her head tilted this way and that as she scanned the future. This continued for several minutes until Edward appeared at the door, looking very confused. I waved at him to not interrupt.

"I'm sorry, Nessie, I'm not getting anything at all," said Alice. "I saw Brazil, but only the outcome of their soccer team this year, and then a jungle, and slum kids playing in the street, and then winning numbers of the Minnesota state lottery."

"Nothing?"

"A big blank. There's one possibility –" Alice hesitated.

I could feel Edward's short intake of breath.

Alice said, "There might not be a future to see."

I felt a little punch in the gut. "As in… she could be dead."

A sympathetic nod. "But not necessarily. It could be just that I'm not reading her."

"No, that's okay. Thank you, Alice."

"If I anything shows up, I'll let you know," said Alice, picking up her pen once more.

* * *

_Thanks for reading my story! Please let me know what you think, leave a review :-)_


	8. Revelations

**Author's Notes: **Thank you reviewers! _ blackcat05, emma, KMT06055, _and _pax et libertas_.

In this chapter, we get new information about the mystery in Brazil, and Nessie gets new (and unwanted) information about the past.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

_Revelations_

"Carlisle, do you mind if we take your car to the airport?" Bella asked. The gunmetal-grey Mercedes sedan had the most room for luggage. I'd be driving Edward's Volvo. For two people plus two werewolves, and their suitcases, it was necessary to take two cars to the Rochester International Airport. Their flight was arriving at eleven in the morning.

"Of course," said Carlisle.

I'd been jumping up and down with excitement all morning, and channeled my energy into baking several quiches with spinach and bacon, a spice cake, and Charlie's favorite cherry cobbler. I'd found late season Washington cherries at an upscale grocery store in town; they would be a taste of home.

Esme helped me with the baking. "It's going to be a wonderful visit. We'll win over Leah yet."

This was another of Esme's pet projects: convincing Leah Clearwater that we were trustworthy. We were already extended family after Charlie and Sue had gotten married twelve years ago.

I furrowed my brow as I tried to work out that exact connection. Charlie, Leah's stepfather, was the father of Bella the vampire, so Bella was Leah's stepsister, and I was therefore Leah's step-niece, and also the Almighty Imprinted One of Leah's pack brother Jacob.

_Phew._

At least Seth wasn't as difficult in temper.

The timer for the spice cake dinged just as Bella grabbed the two sets of car keys. "I'll take care of this," Esme said. "It'll be cooled and ready to frost by the time you get back."

"Thanks!" I said, taking off my apron and following my mother out the door. Jasper had salted the walkways and the driveway last night, leaving frothy borders of snow at their edges. Edward and Alice had put up strings of Christmas lights. Even Rosalie had gotten slightly involved by making a lovely wreath for the front door.

I knew she was more motivated by pride in appearances rather than a love for our guests.

I winced and grabbed Bella's arm, thinking about Rosalie and Leah in the same house over Christmas. It was going to make Rosalie and Jacob seem like best friends in comparison.

"I know," groaned Bella. "They just need to get along. I don't see why they can't. I never had a problem with werewolves _or _vampires." She handed me the key to the Volvo. "We'll park in the short-term lot. I hope it's not too crowded." She shook out her hands and fingers in a familiar gesture: she was reminding herself to put on her human motions.

At the airport, we stood in the arrivals lounge and waited for the four familiar faces amongst the harried travelers. Bella stood up straight, shifting her weight every so often. I was a little more excitable.

_There_! I clutched my mother's hand. I could see two very tall heads with black hair and tanned skin.

"I smell them," she said, smiling.

Charlie and Sue followed behind Seth and Leah. I waved wide, and Charlie's wrinkled face lit up at the sight of us.

Seth jogged over and swept me up into a big hug, and then Bella. "Hey! Long time no see!"

"Hi, Leah," I said, smiling at the other girl. Her face was beautiful and bitter, as usual. "Nice to see you!"

"You too, Ness," she murmured.

Then Charlie and Sue caught up. "Bells!" Charlie said, and Bella gave her father a hug. He'd long gotten used to her hard skin and cool temperature, although according to Edward, he always forced his thoughts away from that most-likely explanation. By now it was habit. "And Nessie!"

"Hi, Grandpa!" I gave him a great big hug, and then one for smiling Sue.

"You get prettier every year," Charlie said, patting me on the back. He turned to his daughter. "You… you too, Bells."

Bella blinked innocently at him, and I laughed. "Come on," I said, nudging Seth in the ribs, "we had to bring two cars. I'm driving."

"You're driving!" Charlie said. "I heard something about a sweet sixteen and a new car."

"You'll see it," I promised.

I drove Seth and Leah while Bella took Charlie and Sue at normal speed through the streets. On the way we chattered about little things, the flight and the weather and how school was going for me. Seth had gone to college and gotten an engineering degree. Now he owned his own consulting business in Seattle, living on the outskirts so that he could phase every day.

Leah lived at home with Sue and Charlie, and she still phased often, more out of emotion than anything else. I was a tad worried about her, to tell the truth, because she had no real interests. Oh, well. It was her life and she had to figure it out for herself. After all, she had a lot of time to think about it.

The house looked like the cover of a Christmas card when we pulled in, all white snow and green swags and red ribbons on the porch columns. Jacob bounded out of the house and there was much back-pounding, hugging, and enthusiasm with Seth, somewhat less with Leah.

Bella helped Charlie and Sue with their luggage up the front steps to where Edward stood on the threshold, smiling. "Hello, Charlie, Sue. Welcome."

"Are you guys hungry?" I asked the werewolves. "And Jacob, you better not have gotten into that cake already."

"It was well-guarded," said Jacob.

"I could eat," said Seth. "The airlines don't even feed first-class anymore."

"Come in, then!"

Our house was large, but it seemed bursting at the seams with holiday cheer and reunion. Sue complimented the huge Christmas tree, topped with a golden angel that looked remarkably like Carlisle. _Poor Sue,_ I thought, touching Jacob's elbow, _she knows exactly what we Cullens are and she can't even complain about it to Charlie._

"That's okay, I'm sure the Wicked Witch of the Pack is always up to complain about you vampires," he murmured, laughing into my ear.

Charlie and Emmett fell into a lively discussion about the football playoffs, and the werewolves sat around the dining room table, digging in to the quiche – "It's sort of a brunch," Bella said – while I frosted the spice cake. I got some cream frosting on my cheek and Jacob, pausing to grab a couple beers out of the fridge for Seth and Charlie, laughed at me and wiped it off with a gentle swipe of a knuckle.

"You're cute."

_You up for a food fight?_ I threatened him with the spatula.

"Better not, Bella would snarl at me."

"Why would I do that?" Bella asked, her eyebrows quirked with amused suspicion.

I grinned madly and brandished the spatula in her direction.

"Don't encourage them," said Bella, meaning the werewolves. "Some people never grow up." She sighed dramatically.

"Look who's talking!" said Jacob.

That night, I was in charge of dinner – a rather impressive turkey with pine-nut and rice stuffing – and then Jacob, Seth, and Leah phased into their wolf forms for a nice long run with me. We swung up and around all the way to the shore of Lake Ontario. The wolves howled with joy at being reunited… well, Seth and Jacob, anyway. Leah was subdued, but even she held a quiet happiness at being with their Alpha.

At the lake, they sat on the shore of the glassy cold water, great furry bodies like sentinels. I leaned up against Jacob, one hand on his paw, but I didn't send my thoughts to him. He needed to be in pack mentality for awhile. I'd gotten control over sharing myself years ago.

Instead, I reflected quietly on the mystery down in Brazil. The lines of code stolen from Mendel were like an unopened Christmas present for me. The challenge was delicious. I was already calculating the possibilities… it was as invigorating as this run with the wolves, being able to stretch my mind and solve a problem.

I sighed with contentment, then Jacob sighed, then Seth. We waited for Leah and, after thirty seconds of silence, she finally gave in and sighed, too. I laughed and the others barked.

* * *

I took a break from the family festivities a few days later to visit the haunted house. In the freezing cold room I sat at my computer, reveling in the glow of its screen, my fingers dancing across the keyboard so fast they were a blur even to me. I was alone, focused, in another world of symbols and pixels and mystery.

There was a lot of code – PeuChen91 had done well – but my superhuman eyes scanned and remembered, fusing connections together, seeing patterns in the language. There seemed to be pieces of four separate programs and I divided them up, focusing on one at a time. The first I looked at was some kind of analysis program, with Fourier transform equations designed to look for key signals within vast amounts of data. There were four variable triggers.

_Four,_ I thought. _Mendel_. _Genetics. Four variables._

_ Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine._ The building blocks of DNA.

So, it must be a DNA analysis program. What it was looking for, I had no way of knowing. But at least I knew that Mendel was looking for something to do with DNA.

Check one.

The next block of code seemed to be another search program, but this time it used words in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese… all medical terms. Mendel was scanning for reports of the unusual: words like _telekinesis, abnormal strength, genius_. This must have been why he'd stolen files from medical databases: to run them through his analysis program.

_But why?_

A sudden association popped into my head about Brazil and science experiments. _Breeding experiments_. I thought of that movie that I'd watched with Jasper and Emmett, called _The Boys From Brazil,_ about the evil Nazi scientist Dr. Josef Mengele (I shivered… the name was close to "Mendel") and how he'd tried to re-create a young Hitler.

And another memory, not fiction but fact: wasn't that how the other vampire-human hybrids had come about? A vampire who fancied himself a scientist? I would always remember that incredible day in the mountain field near Forks, with the Volturi lined up in front of us, my parents stark with fear, Jacob in wolf form ready to take me and run.

It could hardly be related, though. Brazil was famous for being the epicenter of weird science. Killer bees and the first human clone had come out of that country, too.

The next bit of code had me sitting up, determined to talk to Jasper. He'd wanted missing persons cases, and here, in a line of text, was a name. Govinda Singh. The missing corporate talent-finder from London.

The code was an implant for law enforcement systems, erasing all reference to Govinda Singh, all pictures, all fingerprint and retinal scans. It was similar to the program I'd written to erase our identities so we could start here in Rochester.

_This is getting weird. DNA, medical anomalies, and now erasing the identity of Govinda Singh, some businessman from England. _

Mind whirling, I dove into the final block. A few minutes later, I shouted, "Yes!" Finally, something concrete to work with: encrypted map coordinates, longitude and latitude, down to the minute.

My fingers were already moving. First I called up a common civilian program that showed satellite images of the entire globe. I entered the coordinates and held my breath as it zoomed in, closer and closer, to Brazil. To the central part of the country. To the deepest cover of the Amazon rainforest. To… a blank piece of green.

_There's nothing there_.

No roads, no structures, not even the briefest clearing in the trees.

Clearly, I needed more updated information.

I bit my lip and then grinned. I'd never done this before and it took me an hour-long chat with Silvius in the Ukraine to know exactly what to do… it was just past one in the afternoon when I felt ready. The light needed to be good, overhead, and the time zone in central Brazil was an hour ahead of Rochester. I checked the weather quickly: it was clear.

_The French should do,_ I thought. They had good satellite coverage of South America. Plus, their security systems were easily cracked.

I was lightning fast, moving through the French Ministry of Defense like a fiend, in and out before they could even blink, let alone notice me. I used backdoors, personal computers, obscure land lines, zipping through firewalls, dancing through the system.

I felt the soaring triumph of creative trickery. I was faster, smarter, better than they were. I was a ghost in their super-secret mainframe. Their entire military reconnaissance division was open to me.

A few minutes later, I gained control of their most precious Helios 9 spy satellite. It would be passing over the Brazilian rainforest in seven minutes. I rode its currents, loitering there, knowing that I was invisible. The only danger would be when I ordered the satellite to zoom in and take a picture; I would need a minute or two to erase the record.

I lived for this stuff.

I typed in the coordinates and, a few minutes later, the image was clear as crystal on my screen. The satellite image got closer, closer… like a pirate's telescope eye, zooming in…I held my breath, heart thrumming with excitement.

The satellite's incredibly high-resolution cameras were _right there_, up-close in the forest.

"Bingo," I said out loud.

It was a complex of low-roofed buildings. There was still no road, but the jungle was cleared and the buildings were pale white, possibly metal. The infrared camera simultaneously detected the heat bloom of a powerful electrical generator. Was my friend there? Had she been kidnapped and taken into the jungle?

I saved the image to a separate drive and printed the screen. Then I erased what I'd just done, scrubbing clean any record of special attention to this particular part of the Amazon.

Two minutes later, I was out, and I collapsed backward in my chair as my tension ebbed away. My fingers grazed the edges of the print-out. So, I had the barest glimmer of a picture: Mendel, the hacker, and what looked like a science laboratory in the middle of the Amazon. A missing businessman, Govinda Singh. DNA analysis.

It was a start. I would keep this to myself for now. No need to upset the family. Besides, this was not the kind of thing the Cullens could afford to get involved in. Our game was laying low, and my little projects did not need to concern anyone else. I reminded myself to guard my thoughts around Edward.

I drove back home, thinking to myself over and over, _I know where they are._

* * *

Three days before Christmas, we sat around the table at dinnertime. All fourteen place settings were laid out, the white and gold plates, the crystal goblets, the candles. Esme was having a grand time hosting the humans.

Only six plates had food on them, of course. The rest of the Cullens sat with Carlisle at one end of the table, Esme at the other, everyone else in the middle, sitting still and comfortable.

Despite the fine settings and the cool statuesque vampires sitting about the long oval table, there was a definite air of informality. Charlie was telling of all the changes in Forks since we'd left – a new traffic light installed, a new Chinese restaurant opened, the old gas station closed – while Seth and Jacob joked with Emmett and Jasper.

Alice was offering to tell Leah's fortune. She still wanted to find some way to foresee werewolves. "Can I read your palm? Perhaps if I touched you it would help!" Alice said.

Leah looked at her like she was insane.

"Or perhaps if you really decided on something – like writing down a word – maybe I could see the results of your actions, instead of just you?"

"I'll write down a word, all right," Leah muttered.

"Excellent!" said Alice, clapping her hands together.

I poked at my dinner, eating only the meat, an extra-rare prime rib. As I moved my knife back and forth, my fingers glittered; I'd put a tiny fashion diamond on each nail. I noticed Alice's approving look toward my dark red satin blouse, too. The material moved like liquid blood under the lights.

"Jake, I'm warning you," Bella was saying. "You are on… threat level orange, or whatever."

I perked up. It was so funny when Bella and Jacob fought, because it was so unpredictable.

"Come on, Bells, it'd be fun. Charlie trusts me, right?"

"Not really," Charlie contributed.

I threw Jacob a quizzical look.

"I want to take Charlie on the Harley," he mouthed.

"Ohhhh," I said. "You should, Grandpa, it's fun!"

Charlie's mouth dropped open. He glared accusingly at Bella first, and then Edward. "You… you let Nessie ride on a _motorcycle_? My only grandchild?"

"She has her own driver's license, she can make her own transportation decisions," Edward said, sounding apologetic.

"Sounds like Jacob needs another punch in the jaw from you, Bella," Charlie grumbled.

"What?" I laughed.

I missed the panic in Bella's eyes, although it hit the corner of my awareness like a tiny needle that I ignored. I missed Edward's stillness.

"Oh, yeah!" Charlie said. "Back when they were teenagers, Bella punched Jacob. Right in the jaw. Almost broke her hand doing it, too." He chortled.

"You didn't!" I gasped, laughing. There was a slight, possessive pain that Bella had tried to hurt Jacob, ever, but this must have been when she was human. That was a funny thought, my then-fragile mother so enraged at Jacob that she threw a punch.

Edward, suddenly tense, said, "It's an old story, not worth telling, who wants another beer? Charlie?"

But I giggled again, undeterred. "What did Jake do to deserve that?"

"Oh, he kissed her," said Charlie.

The world narrowed into a tunnel. My clear vision was blurred for the first time in my life. All I saw was Charlie, telling an old story. All I heard was, _he kissed her. He kissed her. He kissed her._

My fist curled around the stainless steel knife and it snapped in half.

The table went silent. In the corner of my awareness I saw Edward's horror, Bella's fear, the stressed silence of everyone else. At the center of this maelstrom was Jacob, hands up and eyes pleading, and Charlie, shaking his head and smiling and unaware that anything was wrong.

Alice took a few choked breaths. I knew a dozen futures were crashing around her.

I felt like someone had stabbed through my diamond-strong skin. I felt my heart burning inside of me, into a pile of grey ashes. _Jacob… and my mother… Jacob and Bella… before I was…_ my thoughts dissolved into a long scream of disbelief.

With a titanic effort I turned to my father. I read the sad confirmation in his face. He looked like he wished it weren't so.

_NO_. I flung the word, perhaps out loud, perhaps in my thoughts. I didn't even know the difference anymore. Then I stood up, ran from the room, and leaped up the first staircase, then the second, then the third.

I stood gasping for breath in my room, doubled over. Then I reached under my bed and pulled out a suitcase.


	9. Flight

**Author's Notes: **Yay for reviewers! You guys make my day ^_^ In this chapter, Nessie finds herself on her own for the first time ever… and she's not sure if she likes it.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

_Flight_

Jewelry: my locket from my mother, a ring from Esme, the sapphire stud earrings from Rosalie. Clothes: underwear, jeans, a skirt, a few shirts. I could buy whatever else I needed. Bank card to access my private account in the Grand Cayman islands. Cash, one hundred thousand dollars. Passports, several of them. Spare laptop, encrypted and fast, with a satellite Net uplink and a solar charger.

All this took me under a minute to throw into the suitcase. I didn't think about it, I just did it.

From downstairs I heard the beginnings of an argument as Charlie and Sue were distracted by Carlisle, and as Jacob, Edward, Bella, and Alice cloistered themselves in the living room, speaking in urgent and angry tones. They wondered what to do about me.

Me, Renesmee, the problem child.

They wondered how to explain it was all fated, that nothing could threaten my bond with Jacob.

That just made me growl low in the back of my throat. I _hated_ being forced into things. Especially…

I clutched my arms to my chest, unable to stop the hurt that enveloped me like a cloud. I couldn't see past it. It was poison. Jacob and Bella, before I was born. They'd kissed. What else had they done? Was I the sloppy second choice of Jacob Black because he couldn't have my mother?

A new and awful possibility occurred to me. Was this some kind of revenge of his? Did he imprint on me because he wanted to get back at Bella?

_God._ And here I'd been, falling in love with this guy, and he'd been in love with _my mother_.

He could have been my father.

"Sick, sick, sick," I said aloud. "Twisted, messed-up, stupid, horrible family. They knew and they didn't tell me. They…" The whole Almighty Imprinted One issue was a burden that made my left ring finger tingle in outrage. I had an arranged marriage; no, worse, a forced marriage.

_Over my pile of ashes,_ I thought, borrowing a phrase from Rosalie. I wouldn't take this. I wouldn't be second place.

Screwing my face up, I yanked Jacob's bracelet off my wrist and flung it on the floor.

Then, I grabbed the handle of the suitcase and I jumped out my window into the soft snow. I was fast, but Edward was faster; he was on the ground in front of me.

_Let me go._

"Renesmee, please listen. There's an explanation."

_Oh, I'm sure there is._ I stared into his pained face, memorizing it. I didn't know how long it would be before I saw him again.

Edward's mouth crumpled, seeing my intention.

I knew then that he wouldn't stop me. I walked past him and into the garage, hopped into my Jaguar, and turned the key. I pulled out fast, and my foot paused on the accelerator for a fraction of a second, just long enough to hear Jasper say, "Alice! Alice!"

For Edward to gasp in shock.

For Jacob to burst out of the front door, his arms and legs quivering as he fought the transformation.

I punched it and saw, in my rearview mirror, the great russet wolf pounding after me. But he'd done too good a job on the engine beneath the vintage hood; the Jaguar was faster, faster than Jacob, faster than my thoughts.

I screamed eastward until I hit Interstate-90. In the soft darkness I was a ghost with the speedometer maxed out, passing other cars so fast it looked like they were going backwards, and an hour later I was weaving through the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio.

Another hour, turning away from the great flat expanse of Lake Erie, and I was in Colombus, passing rusted factories and dying towns. The weather was slushy and ineffectual against the windshield and the cloth top of the car. It dampened my mind so that I didn't have to think. I just drove.

Another hour and I was careening around the curves on I-40 west of Nashville. The night was young and the weather cleared up so that I could have seen stars, were I looking.

I knew what my family was doing by now. Jacob and Jasper would be using their lesser computer skills to try to find if I'd taken a flight or left the country. One of my parents would have driven to the airport to see if my car was there. Someone else would have called the Denalis, telling them that I'd run away, hoping that I was going to them. They would be checking all my passport aliases: Vanessa Wolfe, Nessa Swan, Renee Masen. I was incredibly glad that Alice couldn't see me.

Truth be told, I didn't know where I was going, only that I needed to get away.

At a dark hour of morning, along a lonely stretch of the interstate just past Little Rock, Arkansas, I saw the lights of a police car flash behind me. They were feeble and receded within minutes. A half-hearted attempt. The forest edged up into weeds at the sides of the road. The trees looked malevolent and hungry. These were blighted areas, still struggling with refugees and migrants from the cities, and they lived in tent cities in the trees. Once in awhile I saw the glimmer of a fire blazing in an oil barrel and the shadowed figures standing around it… tiny blinks of light that hung in my vision, dangled there for an instant, and then fell away.

I stopped for gas at a run-down station. It would have been a forgotten corner of America, except that it was here along the interstate. The man at the station didn't bother to look at me as I threw down too much money on the counter, and he didn't bother to count what I'd given him.

The sun rose when I was halfway across Texas. The light washed out the wintry landscape, the dead yellow fields, the grey branches of trees. A green direction sign flashed past me and I averted my eyes too late; it advertised Highway 34, north toward Jacobia and Wolfe City.

Soon after that, the skyscrapers of Dallas gathered like a grove of trees on the edge of the horizon, and I weaved in and out of rush hour traffic as best I could, using the commuter lanes. After the slow stretch, I was back on the open road, heading south.

I'd just shot past a dusty little town and crossed over a weak river when I realized where I was going.

Brazil, of course.

Someone there needed my help – PeuChen91, whoever she was – and I had friends there. I could visit Zafrina and Kachiri and hunt in the jungles, go a little bit wild. Even if my family figured it out and Alice saw my decisions by way of those around me, it would take them forever to find me. After all, one area of the Amazon looked just like another, and it would be difficult to track anything through swamps and rivers. By the time they found me, I might – just might – be ready to talk to them.

In the meantime, I was driving south, and I was free.

I stopped for gas again just before the border with Mexico, bought Mexican car insurance, and found a diner. Sitting alone in a corner booth, sunglasses firmly in place, I ordered steak and eggs; the eggs were runny but the steak was good Texas stock.

Then I was on my way again, and hit the border at just before noon.

I would use Renee Masen to enter Mexico. She was twenty-two years old and had only been to Canada before. The immigration official in his booth was dazzled by my smile and by my car; he looked me over, then the Jaguar, and told me I better have Mexican car insurance.

I smiled and showed him the piece of paper.

"_Muchas gracias_. Welcome to Mexico. Be careful of the bandits."

I tried not to laugh. Bandits! I could eat them for breakfast. Literally.

Leaving America behind me, I sped through the dusty desert. From here, it was simple. Just keep going, keep moving, it didn't matter how fast or how slow. I was in no rush. All I focused on was the turning of the wheels beneath me and the landscape in front of me. Little places where people lived. Broken-down cars, roadside food stands, squat houses and long rows of corn. The land turned from brown into green. A sprinkling of rain washed the dust off the car.

My phone had a sat-nav system and there was no question of stopping and asking for directions. My Spanish was passable, thanks to a multi-lingual education when I was a child, but I wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone yet. I needed to be free of all constraints, conversation and politeness and stupid imprinting.

Renee Masen passed through the border into Guatemala, behind a truck full of chickens.

I couldn't go as fast on these roads; they were poor quality for the most part and I was afraid of ripping a tire. Some sections were well-maintained and I made up time… then they ended, as though whoever repaired roads had changed their mind, gone home, and taken a siesta.

It took as long to get through Central America as it had to get across the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas combined. After Nicaragua – I was getting weary of run-down border crossings in all these filler countries – then I was into Costa Rica, stopping for gas once and smiling as I slammed the accelerator down on their wealthier, safer roads. Night fell as I passed a glowering mountain with red edging the top: a live volcano.

A volcano would kill even a vampire. I looked at the mountain with respect and kept driving.

In the dead of night I crossed over the great Panama Canal. I stopped the car for a moment to stretch my legs, watching as a freighter ship, lit up like a beacon, floated underneath the Bridge of the Americas. It looked to be carrying grain. I sniffed the air: the sea and the rich layers of tropical vegetation, the oil and metal and churning engines of ships, the people wearing cotton and straw. So different from what I was used to.

Sighing, I got back in the car. I was in South America now. A continent away from the hurt and the betrayal. The air was sweet with my freedom.

Some hours later, at midday, the road ended.

I was in a town called Yaviza, according to the sign, and it was the terminus of the road I'd been following. There was no fanfare, no reward, just a rusted sign and a hunched-over village. Women in long skirts carried water and children on their backs. A girl of about my age, heavily pregnant, scrubbed her laundry by hand as she stood barefoot next to a plastic bucket.

The road drifted off into a spread of gravel that scattered like dull stars into the exuberant vegetation of the rainforest. On the other side of the road, a large, stubborn-looking river drifted by.

I glared at my sat-nav phone. It had not said anything about a gap. I'd punched in Pan-American Highway, thinking with good reason that the road would continue into South America. I felt misled by my technology, and that unsettled me.

Angrily punching a few keys, I turned off the navigation program and also erased the fourteen voice messages. Two from Bella, eight from Edward, three from Alice, and one from Jacob. I hadn't listened to any of them. I knew what they would try to say.

I parked the Jaguar and, ignoring the stares of bemused villagers, I approached the pregnant girl.

"Si?" she asked, glancing up, her eyes squinted against the sunshine. She had wrinkles on her brow already. She could not be my age, I must have been mistaken.

I asked her how to get to Columbia, explaining about my car and my need to keep going. As her expression grew more and more confused, I wished that I could just pass her my thoughts without startling her. Instead she just stared at me like I was an alien.

All right, I supposed I did look a little… odd. I still wore my wine-colored satin blouse and cream wrap skirt from the family dinner. My hair was pulled into a ponytail underneath a baseball cap and I'd kicked off my heels in the car.

Bare feet, just like hers.

Explaining again in Spanish, I said that I was trying to drive to Brazil and I needed to know where the road picked up again.

The girl started laughing at me.

_Well, I'm glad to have made her day,_ I thought. "_Por favor_?" I said.

Shaking her head at me, she said that the best thing to do was to go to the airport and fly out. Yaviza had an airport, she said, pointing. I looked back at her just in time to see her eyeing my Jaguar.

_And leave my car here. In your dreams, lady._ I gave her a sharp look, but she didn't even seem ashamed.

I tried a couple other people – an old man smoking the last remaining stub of a cheap cigarette, and a man in the grimy general store – but they offered equally worthless advice. I could rent a motorcycle and cross the jungle. I could take a ferry to the other side of the lazy river.

_Useless._ I got back in my car. I would drive back to Panama City and hitch a ride on a ship, _with_ my Jaguar, to Rio de Janeiro.

A few hours later, as I approached Panama City, its lights just beginning to glow as the sun set on the ocean, I realized that I was about to fall over from exhaustion. I hadn't slept in… (I counted the hours I'd been driving)… two days. This was taking a lot longer than I'd thought; I probably should have flown.

On the other hand, the driving distracted me, and it felt like I had put the world between me and _him_. That was a nice feeling.

Punching in my request into my now-untrustworthy phone, I found the city's best five-star resort. Pulling into the front amidst white columns and palm trees, I stumbled out, grabbed my suitcase out of the trunk ("Mine, thanks," I hissed to the bellboy who tried to take it from me) and handed the keys to the valet, then presented myself at the front desk.

I'd never checked into a hotel before. I'd never even stayed at a hotel before. I felt very grown-up as I said, "I need a room just for tonight, please," and gave the clerk my most dazzling smile.

It was impossible to tell what the clerk was thinking as he looked at me. He looked almost hypnotized. After a long beat he blinked a couple of times and said, slowly, "How old are you, miss?"

"Twenty-two."

"Ah. Well, yes. How will you be paying for your stay, please?"

"Cash."

"I will need to see your passport, please, sorry."

Entertained by his contradicting terms, I handed him Renee Masen. He entered the number into the computer and passed it back to me.

"Yes, thank you," he said. "View of ocean or gardens, your preference?"

"Ocean."

He beamed as though this was the right choice. "Room Three-Twelve, thank you."

I was shown to the room, and as soon as the bellhop had closed the door behind him, I flung open the doors to the balcony. The sea glowed under the last remnants of the sunset. The room was enormous, with polished teak furniture, plush sand-colored carpet, a massive bed frothy with white silk, a vase full of bird-of-paradise flowers.

I was not supposed to be somewhere like this all by myself. There was no one to exclaim to, no one to breathe in the rich ocean air with me. My eyes turned to the bed and I thought of how alone I would be tonight.

Jacob should have been sharing this with me.

Jacob had kissed my mother before I was even born.

It would have been one thing if they'd been honest with me. I could have handled that. After all, I couldn't have expected Jacob to not have a life, just because I wasn't around yet… but it was the secret of it, the shame, the sense that I'd had the rug pulled out from under me. I didn't know Jacob at all, and I was supposed to spend my life with him? My mind came back to its original position: trapped.

It was then that I remembered it was Christmas Eve. I'd have spoiled their gift-giving at home. I would not be there to see the look on Jacob's face when he saw the antique jet engine. Guilt swamped me for a black moment, followed soon by self-pity. I'd ruined everything, and everything had been ruined for me.

I would have no Christmas, no family, no Jacob.

I turned in a dizzy circle that made the luxurious room see-saw in front of my eyes, and I collapsed onto the soft carpet, crying.


	10. Vulnerable

**Author's Notes: **Thank you reviewers! _KMT06055, Wolfmonkey, kmddeprez1122, _and _emma_!

In this chapter, Nessie embraces her newfound freedom in Brazil, only to be startled by something she didn't expect.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

_Vulnerable_

It was with a sense of calm that I watched the jagged green mountains of Rio de Janeiro float closer toward me. My hands rested on the whitewashed railing of the cargo ship. The air was balmy. I wore a white cotton shirt, unbuttoned, over a dark blue sundress that rippled in the breeze.

For the past few days, I'd had a chance to think hard about things. After a night filled with tears and regrets in that hotel room in Panama, I knew I had a choice. I could have gone to the airport and been home for Christmas morning. For a few moments I had started repacking my things, hands shaking, getting ready to leave… but every time I rehearsed my apology in my head, I couldn't get past it. In the end I had curled up alone in the big empty bed and clutched my knees to my chest, determined to wait it out.

It was either go forward on my own, free and unfettered, or go back to being Jacob's second love.

My possessiveness toward Jacob was irrational. I knew that. But I couldn't help it, either; imprinting was like a force of nature, and to fight against it was like flinging insults at a hurricane.

But after I was done crying that night, I decided to continue what any reasonable person would do in the face of that hurricane: evacuate.

It was terrifying to be alone in the world when I had always been surrounded by family… but the alternative was worse. I would not live my life by some mystical imprinting nonsense. Jacob was the real leech in my family: imposing himself on Bella all those years ago (his advances must have been rejected, since she punched him), and now imposing himself on me. What was his deal?

I wasn't going to stick around to find out. I had my own life to lead and in Rio I had a friend, unconnected to any stupid old werewolf, who was in danger and needed help.

The next day after my breakdown, Christmas morning, I'd checked out of the hotel, driven down to the docks, and made arrangements to get to Brazil.

The ship on which the Jag and me had hitched an expensive last-minute ride was Portuguese, with an old sea dog captain who looked like he belonged in the pirate era: curt, grizzled, sun-worn, just like his ship. The crew were young and illiterate. A few of them had made passes at me, but not very strenuous ones. I guessed I had a hard look in my eye that made them wary.

As the churning engines brought me closer to Rio's industrial docks, I felt a soaring exhilaration. It was like flexing a muscle I'd never tested before and finding it to be strong. I had everything I needed: beauty, money, and the hacker talent of inventing more money. I was immortal, with impenetrable skin. I even had a natural designer perfume scent.

When I stepped off the dock, I had a smile on my face as I passed through customs, signed for my car, and started the drive to the hotel. From the ship I'd made a reservation for a week at the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel, right on the white sand beach. They'd told me that there was nothing available, but Jasper had taught me that for people with money, there was _always_ room. He'd been right.

The smile faded as I pulled into the chaotic traffic of the Port of Rio. I had no idea where I was going. My sat-nav was giving me contradicting directions, and one of the streets was closed off by scaffolding and roadwork, and the trucks were so tall that I couldn't see around them, and there were no street signs on anything. The polluted, exhaust-filled air overwhelmed me and I tried to breathe through my mouth.

The noise, too, was a physical force. I could detect all kinds of layers, machines and computers and the grinding of old engines… talking, breathing… rubber tires grinding into dusty pavement… scratchy salsa music from an aging radio… an electric saw that needed a new motor.

It all made me want to scream. I saw an idling row of taxis and I drove the car up next to them, scattering pedestrians. I chose a driver at random; he was standing outside his cab, smoking.

I shouted at him in Portuguese. "You! You, there! How much to drive me to my hotel?"

This must have come out very wrong, because the other drivers whooped and hollered and made rude gestures at the both of us.

I blushed hotly and made myself repeat the question. "I'm lost, I need to go to my hotel."

The driver stomped out his cigarette and looked dubious. "You leave your car here?" He switched into English, perhaps to save himself from humiliation at the hands of my Portuguese.

"No, no, you drive my car."

"I already have this car." He pointed to his aged taxi.

My hands clenched into frustrated fists. "No. I am lost. I need to get to my hotel. You get in my car and drive me to the hotel. Is that okay?"

"Okay? Yes, that's okay."

"Okay, then." As he walked towards me, I could distinguish his unique scent of smoke, motor oil, and tangy body odor. His wife washed his clothes with bleach, but not often, and he used a petrolatum-based gel in his hair. Lovely.

Not for the first time, I was grateful that I could snap necks with my fingers, if need be. This would not have been a good situation for a helpless human girl. I thought again of PeuChen91.

"What hotel?" he asked.

"Copacabana Palace Hotel."

His eyes widened to the size of half-dollars in his sweating face. "Copacabana! Ai!" Then he noticed my Jaguar and his eyes just about fell out of his face. He ran a reverent hand over the steering wheel. "Ai!" He turned to me. "This will cost you much."

_Sigh. Typical_. I smiled at him, waiting for his offer.

"Three hundred dollars US."

"That's fine." I'd been expecting much worse.

His face fell a tad, realizing he could have gotten away with twice that amount, then he started the engine. The driver moved my car in and out of traffic with expertise and I was glad; despite my reflexes, I probably would have gotten totaled by the insane truck drivers. Soon the neighborhood shifted into high-rise luxury; half an hour later, we were in front of the gleaming white marble façade of the Copacabana Palace.

The old Fred Astaire song from _Flying Down to Rio_ floated through my head. Edward played it on the piano sometimes for Bella, something about their honeymoon. The memory of my parents made me wince. I paid the driver three hundred dollars cash, plus a fifty as a tip, and he welcomed the "pretty young lady" to Rio.

That night I had my hair styled at the hotel salon ("Oh, this beautiful hair, it is like bronze, it's natural, you say?", and I'd replied, "One hundred percent original human.") and then I retreated to my room, ordered a raw steak (five-star resorts didn't ask many questions of their guests) and spent the evening on the balcony with my laptop, planning out the next day.

I'd be spending some quality time on the hunt, and I needed to get my bearings. I would be taking a taxi this time; now I knew better than to navigate these foreign roads with my traitorous sat-nav. Later, Alice called my cell phone, but I let it ring.

I slept well that night for the first time since I'd left Rochester.

* * *

I'd been in the taxi for an hour already. I'd never imagined so many people stuffed up against the ocean, amongst the hills, in hollows and slums, on steep inclines. It would be a good place for a vampire to hunt, actually; in this city of over forty million, no one would miss one or two every couple weeks.

My laptop was in a case at my feet. Once I got to the address listed for PeuChen91's home system, I planned to download her files and hope they contained a clue. I hoped she wasn't just on vacation; she would want to kill me if she knew I'd taken her gaming files.

The car provided by the hotel smelled of too-expensive cologne, hairspray, cloth, leather, oil, alcohol. I could never live in a city like this. My senses were overloaded.

My driver was a taciturn young man with a turned-down mouth and a grim, flat, practical tone of voice during the few syllables he did speak. I liked him. He seemed to know Rio like the back of his own hand.

I also appreciated that he didn't ask me any questions about why I wanted to visit a random address in the suburbs. It wouldn't make good small talk for me to explain that I was looking for my fellow-hacker-criminal-nerd friend who may or may not have been kidnapped, harmed, or killed by an enemy hacker.

Leaning my head against the tinted glass, I watched the people on the street. A group of boys darted out of the way as we passed their game of street football; they wore tattered clothes and bright smiles. A young woman wore a red scarf that fluttered in the polluted breeze. An old couple, in their eighties at least, walked hand-in-hand down the street, faces matched wrinkle-for-wrinkle. _So this is humanity_, I thought. _This is half of what I am._

PeuChen91 lived in this city. She would be the first human friend that I ever had – Charlie and Sue didn't count because they were family. I wondered what her life was like, if she was rich or poor… if she still had a life.

"Belford Roxo," said the driver.

We'd turned into a mixed neighborhood: not poor, not glitzy. There were children everywhere – it was three in the afternoon, and school was getting out. The main drag was crowded and lined with shops, nineteen-seventies era apartment complexes, small houses crammed in between… rusty billboards covered in fresh advertising paper… once in awhile, a plasma in a window, running an ad or a television show. The streets were dusty but not rubbish-filled like some parts of the city.

The car turned down a long residential street. Neighbors chatted over chain-link fences; a pair of girls walked with arms linked, chewing gum and sharing a fashion magazine. I was reminded of what Alice and I might look like, walking down the hallways of Brighton High School… _Focus, _I reminded myself.

"You know this person?" the driver asked.

"Yes, she is my friend," I said.

"Okay."

I smiled; it was as though he didn't want me visiting someone dodgy or dangerous. To the driver who couldn't know better, I was a precious, vulnerable guest of the hotel. This set me remembering my insecurities about Jacob, how I thought he wouldn't fall in love with me because I wasn't a fragile flower to be protected.

Then I remembered how he'd kissed (_loved!_) just such a vulnerable human. Bella. He must have wanted to protect her from vampires, from her then-clumsy self, from the things that might hurt her… and a fresh film of tears blurred my vision as I realized he would never have those feelings towards me. How could he, when I was so strong?

But no. I was here in Rio, anonymous, looked after by my normal human driver, away from the weight of perfection. I swallowed back my nascent tears and opened up to the glory of the moment.

Glory, in this independence, as I rolled forward into a foreign neighborhood on a task of my own choosing.

"Here," said the driver, stopping the car in front of a green cement-brick house. It had a short cyclone fence surrounding a patchy front lawn, a single wooden post upholding a porch roof, and a crumbling cement walkway. The barred front window was open; a curtain hung limp inside.

"Can you wait for me?" I asked.

"I am hired by the day," he said. "Yes."

"_Obrigado_," I thanked him. I opened the door and swung my sandaled feet onto the gravel.

I stood up, looked around the golden-dusty street, took a deep breath.

The trace of a scent sent a thrill of alarm racing down my spine. My hands curled into claws, my back went rigid, I bared my teeth.

_Vampire_.


	11. Reunion

**Author's Note: **Thank you reviewers, _kmddeprez1122, LehcarMarie, abstractionsofmysoul, biggest fan, Twilight Twitterer, Passion Black, emma, _and _lifesucks andthenyou liveforever_!!

In this chapter, we run into an old friend. Apologies for the even-worse cliffhanger. Okay, I'm not really that sorry. It's fun being an evil author.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

_Reunion_

Breathing quickly, quelling my alarm at the scent of a vampire in this unexpected place, I spoke to the driver as quickly as I dared. "Could you wait for me around the block?"

He turned his mouth down even further, looking troubled. "You are all right here?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I… just want to surprise her. Old friend, not expecting me. She'll be home from work in a few minutes." The lie came easily, the story plausible. It was like writing a cheat code into a computer program.

"I will watch you from down the street," said the driver, worry in his eyes, but his job was to do as I said.

"_Obrigado_. I'll be fine, really."

"You need anything, you call me." He made me program his number into my cell phone. "Call for Fernando."

During this exchange I was conscious of my back, of the wind ruffling my hair, of my vulnerability in the middle of this mundane street. If I needed to fight, I didn't want this innocent human witnessing it, or worse, interfering on my behalf.

As Fernando drove away slowly, I took another deep breath. My eyes were everywhere, my ears humming with alertness. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but for that tingling _scent_, a perfume of aniseed and chocolate. The gate squeaked as I opened it, walking toward the house, steps light on the cracked cement.

As I approached, I realized that the scent of vampire was faint, at least weeks old. They hadn't been here since… since PeuChen91 sent me that email and then vanished off the Net.

Could this really be a coincidence? Was there a vampire preying on the residents of Rio, and my friend had been incredibly unlucky… _No._ I dismissed it. This was no coincidence. _She sent me an email. Frightened. She thought Mendel had found her_. What if he had? _What if Mendel is a vampire_?

I was tensed like a coiled spring as I pushed the front door open. It was unlocked and slightly ajar. The inside of the house was dark except for the patch of light on the polished cement of the threshold. Dust, old grease, human, that faint note of vampire… I was satisfied that the house was empty.

Empty, for sure. There was no furniture, not in the front room or either of the bedrooms. The kitchen was gutted except for a porcelain sink built into the wall. A bold rat scurried in through the open door and dashed into a hole where the refrigerator's power cords had been.

I paused in the back bedroom. There were scuff marks on the floor from the plastic wheels of an office chair. A lonely Ethernet cord lay like a dead snake. This, I was sure, had been where PeuChen91 had kept her computer.

I wished I knew more about her. Her age, her family…

I leaned up against the doorframe and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. There was another scent in here that intrigued me, stronger than the rest of the house. It was like some kind of tropical flower. It suffused the paint on the walls and the tattered plaid curtains on the window.

The gate creaked outside. Someone's footsteps… _my driver_? _I told him to stay away_!... no, too light to be an adult. Or a human.

I braced myself between the walls of the hallway, ready to attack whoever came through the door.

The scent hit me at the same time as the sound of the heartbeat. It was vampire, it was human, it was _both_, and there was the rapid fluttering of a hybrid heart.

One like me.

His figure filled the doorway, the afternoon sunlight silhouetting him from behind. His skin was the luxurious color of copper, and his hair was black and a little wild; for one crazy moment I thought it was Jacob, in spite of the obvious scent.

He wore jeans and a t-shirt with the logo of a Brazilian soccer team. In spite of my shock, and my realization that this wasn't Jacob, there was something very familiar about him yet. I felt as though I knew this man.

I took a slow step towards him. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I should ask you the same thing." There was an unmistakable note of protectiveness in his voice… not towards me, but towards the house. His territory?

"Do you live here?" I asked.

"No. But I've been watching. I knew someone would come eventually." This time, it was anger beneath his words. "Are you one of them?"

I was so confused. I was sure I knew him, and the memory danced around my brain like a live wire, sparking but not connecting… first, though, I needed to make sure he wasn't a threat. "One more time. _Who_ are you? And where is the girl who lived here before?"

"You tell me!" His dark eyes stared at me with a furious intensity.

Then, I knew.

"Nahuel!" I said.

He twitched.

"That's your name, isn't it? Nahuel! I – I was so young, last I saw you – but it is you! Don't pretend it's not!"

"That's my name," he admitted. "You look familiar too, but… you're not one of them?"

I didn't much like the sound of this "them" business. Clearly, we needed to talk. "Let's go in here," I said, gesturing at the bright, dusty, empty living room. I didn't turn my back to him, but rather edged into the room. He followed with equal suspicion.

In the brighter light I could see the way his skin glowed, just like mine, although a darker shade. His forehead was broad, his eyes like deep black pools, and his mouth was curved downward. Yes, this was Nahuel, nephew of the vampire Huilen, and the last time I'd seen him was in a mountain field sixteen years ago, when he testified before the elegant, deadly line of Volturi.

"You know me, but I don't know you," said Nahuel. "So you have very little time to convince me that you mean no harm."

"Actually, we've met." I took a deep breath and stuck out my hand. "Renesmee Cullen."

Nahuel blinked, tilted his head, glanced down at my hand, and then broke into a wide grin. "Cullen! Of course! Renesmee!" He seized my hand and shook it. He glanced me up and down. "You've grown up very nicely."

I flashed through my infant memories of him, that day with the Volturi and then afterward, in the old house in Forks, where he'd given us his life story.

He was startled for a moment at the unfamiliar version of his own memory, but then he remembered my gift and relaxed. "Renesmee Cullen," he said again. Then his grin got even wider. "So this means you must know about everything that's been happening! Is the rest of your coven here, too?"

I pulled my hand away. "Not exactly. And what do you mean, everything?" A million more questions hovered in my mind and I told myself to be patient.

Nahuel became serious again. "I've been watching this house, because it was the only thing I could think of… my only link to her."

There was such longing in his voice. "Her. The girl who lived here?"

He nodded, obviously miserable.

Could Nahuel be in love with my internet friend? Another vampire-human relationship? Was she his mate? And what were the odds of me being friends with the human PeuChen91, who happened to know Nahuel? "Is she… what happened to her?"

"They took her," said Nahuel. "Which is why I want to know, what are you doing here? Don't you already know that?"

"I – this seems too crazy. Sorry. I'm here because I have this friend… over the internet. She went by the screen name PeuChen Ninety-One. A couple weeks ago, she vanished after sending me an email. She was afraid someone had found her… I was worried and so I came to see if I could track her down."

A wry smile twisted Nahuel's mouth. "You. Her internet friend. Small world. She was – she loved that computer. They took everything, all evidence of her, everything except her scent."

I felt sorry for Nahuel. It seemed so unfair that he should suffer losing his mother, inadvertently turn his aunt into a vampire, have a deadbeat evil scientist vampire as a father… and now, lose the girl he loved. "I'm sorry," I said aloud. "You don't think she's… dead, do you?"

"Dead?" Nahuel tilted his head again. "No! She's not dead. I fear it's much worse than that."

It was my turn to be bewildered again. "Worse?"

"I should have known they would not have left such a prize unclaimed." Nahuel seemed to be speaking more to himself than to me.

"Okay. I'm super-confused, Nahuel." When I said his name aloud, his head snapped up. "Who are we talking about here?"

"Aylen," he said.

"That's her name?"

"Yes, Aylen. My sister."

_No way._ "Your sister! Your… hybrid sister! Like you and me?"

"More like you than me. She's non-venomous." Nahuel smiled a little bit. "She chose Peuchen as her name, did she?" I could hear the inflection of the proper name. "How fitting. It's the Mapuche – our people's – name for a blood sucker."

Well, I felt like an idiot. I couldn't believe I'd overlooked doing a basic search on what her name meant. _Getting too cocky, Ness._ "Aylen," I repeated. "But that's okay, then! If she's like us, then it's not like it's easy to hurt her. She can get out of this situation, whoever's kidnapped her, right? I mean, you don't even know what Aylen can do. She's amazing. One time she hacked into the MI-6 database just for fun. You should have seen how creative she was. They chased her all over the system but she was too fast…" I trailed off, thinking of those more innocent times.

"This isn't like that," said Nahuel.

I frowned. He seemed to know a lot more than me. "Okay. You want to find PeuChen – I mean, Aylen – just as I do. Right?"

He nodded.

"So we're going to need to share information here. You tell me everything you know, and I'll tell you everything I know. Between the two of us, we can figure out what's going on."

Nahuel regarded me for a moment. Assessing my trustworthiness, I supposed.

"Come on, Nahuel. I'm here to help. My grandfather – my coven leader – I mean, Carlisle is like the Gandhi of the vampire world. I am here to help," I repeated.

"Where is Carlisle? And the rest of your coven?"

"They're in New York. I came on my own because…" I didn't want to burden Nahuel with my personal drama, "… because I didn't know it was this serious. And I had no idea that it was anything other than a human matter. All I knew about Aylen was that she was female and that she was a great gamer."

He sighed. "All right."

"All right."

There was an awkward silence.

"I'll go first," I said. Then I was interrupted by an insect-like buzzing in my pocket. My phone. _Ugh._ I did not have time for emotional pleas for me to come home. I deleted the incoming call – from Alice – and said, "So, we were working on this mystery. A hacker called Mendel. He's been breaking into medical records all over the world. It was just a side project, really… See, in our world, it's about pride and reputation as much as anything. Mendel seemed like a wise guy and we wanted to mess around, see who he was. PeuChen – I mean, Aylen – she seemed to be onto his trail."

The phone rang _again_. "Ugh!" I cancelled the call. Alice. "Do you mind if I just show you what I know?"

Nahuel nodded. "Okay."

I approached him, hand outstretched. He met me in the middle. Our palms pressed together and I showed him everything. _My emails with PeuChen91. The electronic footprint of Mendel. We thought he was in South America. She thought that he was about to find her. She said he might be worse than a hacker…_ I gasped. _He must be a vampire, then._

"Vampire scent is here. It was strongest just after she vanished."

_So we know that Mendel the hacker is also a vampire. He found Aylen and took her._ This also explained why Alice had been unable to see PeuChen91 – a hybrid – and her future when I'd asked. That was a slight relief; it meant that she was not necessarily dead. I passed this reassuring thought to Nahuel, and then the rest. _The code she lifted from Mendel's hard drive. My work with it… the DNA analysis, the search program for unusual medical reports, the missing London businessman Govinda Singh, the map coordinates somewhere in the middle of the Amazon. _I paused my thoughts to let him catch his breath. _Now it's your turn._

I lowered my hand before he did; he stood with arm outstretched almost as though asking me to dance.

I raised my eyebrows.

Nahuel smiled at me, his dark eyes all liquid warmth. "Aylen was lucky to have a friend like you."

"I still can't believe that my comrade-in-arms was a hybrid like me, all this time."

"We're a rare breed," Nahuel said.

His words quivered in my mind. I felt the stirrings of a chain reaction of thought… all the clues must be in there, they only needed to be strung together…

"I know Aylen was working on something. Many weeks ago, she asked me to come here, to Rio. I didn't receive her message until two weeks after she sent it; as you know, I live in the forest with my aunt, and I very rarely go into the town to look at my email and check my post box. Aylen told me she was in danger and asked me to help her, but she said she would not leave her computer.

"I arrived too late by a matter of minutes, I believe. The scent of the vampire was overwhelming. The trail led out the door and to the street, where they must have got her into a car. From there, nothing. The house was emptied, as well. Her computer gone. Ever since, I've been watching and waiting. This house was my only link to Aylen." His face was darkened with remorse. "I'm glad you've come, Renesmee."

"Call me Nessie, everyone does," I said.

My phone rang. _Again!_ I glared down at it. "Alice," I muttered, and switched it off.

I took Nahuel's hand again. It was the same temperature as mine. I pushed away thoughts of Jacob and instead focused on the moment. _I think we have a lead. Those coordinates. I found a satellite image of that area of the jungle and there's something there – a compound. Looks like a laboratory. It was in Mendel's computer, so maybe he took Aylen there. It's totally the middle of nowhere, though; I think we'll have to rent a helicopter._

His mouth curved upward. "I hate machines. But I suppose it is the quickest way."

_You hate machines?_ I thought, jokingly offended.

"I'm over one hundred and forty years old," he reminded me. "I'm used to the softness of nature, the quiet sounds of the forest." He winced. "I can barely stand being in the city. Don't you find it too much – the noise, the scents, the activity?"

_I see your point_.

"A human is approaching," Nahuel said, pulling me toward the front window. "Yours?"

_My driver._ We watched as Fernando walked toward the house, his face still pulled into a frown. I guessed I had been in this deserted-looking building for too long. _I should tell him I'm okay_.

Then, Fernando stopped. His hands shot out in front of him, panicked, and he leaned against the chain-link fence. His face swiveled this way and that, as though he was looking for something, but unable to see.

Two things slammed my awareness into overdrive. First was the odd shimmering of the air outside, like a heat mirage. Second was the fresh, _right here_ scent of a vampire.

Next to me, Nahuel went rigid and spun around, hissing.

I grabbed my phone and turned it on. _Hurry, hurry_! I thought as it booted up and dinged and showed the graphic of a butterfly and all kinds of rigmarole. _Hurry_! My ears and nose worked like crazy, knowing that the vampire was almost upon us. No, there were two of them, two distinct scents, two feathery sets of feet. _Two against two. I hope we can take them…_

There was one text message on my phone from Alice. I forced my frightened eyes to look at the message.

_URGENT Ness! Whatever you're doing, stop it!! I saw Edward and Bella dressed in black at a funeral. Think it was yours. PLEASE. Run away, stop what you're doing. You're in danger. I love you. Alice._

Fresh terror washed over me. Nahuel felt it when I grabbed his elbow. _We should run_, I thought.

"We should fight. They might tell us where Aylen is."

Outside, Fernando the driver struggled and fell as though he didn't know up from down.

Then I heard, rather than saw, the slow approach of a vehicle on the street.

I pressed the call button on my phone, to Alice. It took a minute to connect, the signal bouncing up into space, off satellites, reaching for my family back in America…

The back door creaked, and I froze.

They were in the house. In the kitchen. The gentle swish of fabric, the slow and even breathing…

I heard Alice's voice say, "Ness?" but I couldn't speak. It was time to fight.

The speeding of our hearts was synched together, Nahuel and I, as we turned to meet them.

But when I saw who it was, I knew it was all over.

One tall vampire in grey silk, his red eyes fixed on me. I didn't know his name, but I knew who he worked for, and I knew what he did. He was a tracker.

The other I did know. He was slight of frame, ghosting across the floor, a tiny smile of delight on his pure face.

Alec.

Volturi.

I saw the shimmering of the air creeping toward me. My hand was clasped around Nahuel's, but I knew he could do nothing. I had one last thought before the world dissolved into a numb black nothingness.

I wanted my mother.


	12. Headhunter

**Author's note: **Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! _kmddeprez1122, emma, blackcat05, _and _Passion Black_.

In this chapter, Nessie learns who's behind the mystery in Brazil, and finds herself torn between her family and what looks like an inevitable future.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

_Headhunter_

My senses returned to me as abruptly as they'd been stolen. I had no idea how long I'd been under the fuzzy cloak of Alec's anesthesia. It had been a form of torture; death could have come at any moment, no warning, no sensation. My mind spun in helpless circles until I'd wondered if they'd already killed me and I was in the void of whatever comes after life. It was awareness without sensation, it was thought without form, it was the essence of chaos.

Cut off from reality, starved for information, it was like the time the Internet had been brought down for three days by a cyber terror attack… except worse. Way, way worse.

And then, just like that, I could see and hear and smell and feel again.

The clarity was disorienting and I sat frozen for a moment, taking it all in, cataloguing what I knew.

The scents were a layered portrait of vegetation, iron-rich soil, old paint, rough metal edges, the plastic and silicon and carbon of electronics, the crackling burn of electricity… and vampire. _Lots _of vampire.

There was human, too, but this was tenuous and not quite defined.

I could hear soft, lyrical voices and the low hum of a generator, but nothing else.

I could see a white wall in front of me.

I sat on a metal bench.

I was alone.

Where was Nahuel? And Alec? Was I in Italy? That tracker – Demetri, I remembered his name – must have been looking for me, or perhaps for Nahuel.

_Oh_. What if my family had called the Volturi and asked for their help in finding me? What if Alice saw the danger from Mendel and had called upon Aro to track me down? Sure, the Cullens weren't exactly best friends with the Volturi, but Aro would never let a unique talent escape into the arms of danger. I was probably back in America and about to get a lecture.

Yet, the smell of vegetation was still foreign.

I felt a more nebulous physical ache that I couldn't quite put a finger on until I thought about Jacob. _Jake_. The imprinting thing affected me as much as him. I was adrift, and what had once seemed like a purposeful journey on the road of independence now felt like a terrible navigational error that left me floating in a faceless ocean.

Navigation. I checked for my cell phone but it was gone from my pocket.

How could I have been so stupid? I'd walked right into danger, thinking myself immune, assuming PeuChen91 was a human. I should have known better. The world was far more crowded with legendary creatures than one might think. Threats had a way of turning up like bad pennies.

Standing up in the tiny white room that seemed like a jail cell, I tried to reason things out. The Volturi were involved. Were they after Mendel, too? Or were they after Nahuel or me, and just happened to find us at the house? Had they taken Aylen?

Maybe my family had found the printed-out photos of the Amazon at the haunted house. They might figure I was in Brazil. Maybe they were already on their way.

There was a knock on the metal door. How typically Volturi. Above all things, they were polite.

"Come in," I said.

The door swung open. It was Demetri, the tracker, and I stepped backwards away from him.

"Do not fear me, young Cullen. I'm not here to hurt you."

"What are you here for? And where is _here_?"

"Come with me, please. All will be explained."

I glared, but saw no other choice. When I stepped out of the room, it was into a long open colonnade of Spanish-style arches surrounding a neglected courtyard. The white paint was peeling to reveal reddish cement underneath; weeds sprouted around the columns and a long-dry fountain rusted in the center, looking parched. Scrub trees crowded over the roof of the courtyard and I could hear none of Rio's human noises; wherever we were, it was isolated.

Demetri led me down the row. I knew better than to try running. Besides, there was every chance my family would be here soon, and that they'd asked Demetri for help in finding their runaway daughter.

My rational mind tried to find a benevolent explanation, but I couldn't explain away the deep dread that tickled the pit of my stomach.

"You can't hurt me, you know," I said to Demetri. "My family will never stand for it. Say, where is my family?"

Demetri did not reply, but glanced over his shoulder with an unreadable smile.

Breathing deep, I could smell Nahuel nearby. "Where's Nahuel?" I asked.

Demetri answered this time. "He will be accompanying us later."

_Okay, just be cryptic then,_ I thought. I didn't appreciate being kept in the dark, first literally and now with information. Ignorance _really_ bugged me.

Demetri opened another creaky metal door and ushered me into an office.

A vampire sat at a large wooden desk. He was dark-haired with skin tinged gray, and looked for all the world like a corporate businessman, dressed in a pinstripe suit with a red tie that matched his eyes.

Despite his posture at the desk, the rest of the office looked abandoned. A broken chair rested in one corner, a rusted curtain rod hung off the window, and empty file cabinets lined one wall. My eyes caught on a large wooden crucifix hanging above the vampire's head.

"Where…" I stopped, annoyed at the hitch of fear in my voice, "where are we?"

"An abandoned Catholic mission in Maranhao, Brazil," the businessman vampire said in a British accent. "Welcome. Please, sit down." He gestured at the wooden chair in front of the desk.

Businessman. It clicked. Could this be Govinda Singh, the missing British man? And if it was, did that mean Mendel was involved in this? Swallowing as I sat down, I had an awful feeling that I was in something far deeper than I knew. I had to take the initiative and get some answers. "My name is Renesmee Cullen," I said, shooting a look at Demetri. "What's your name?"

The vampire smiled pleasantly. "Govinda."

_Knew it_! The solving of a puzzle piece didn't diminish my feeling of dread, though. "You're British, then?" _Just keep him talking, maybe he'll tell you something else useful._

"Was," said Govinda, waving a hand. "My job is here, with you. We didn't expect to see you so soon, Miss Cullen."

"So soon?"

"Never mind. I confess our astonishment at your presence here in Brazil. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting friends." I crossed my arms. "Are you with the Volturi?"

I felt Demetri shift behind me, as though he was gesturing. Govinda paused and said, "You could say I'm a contractor. Friends, you said? What friends?"

"Nahuel."

"Ah, yes, Nahuel. And the rest of your coven, where are they?"

My tiny flame of hope was snuffed out. My family had nothing to do with this. They hadn't hired the Volturi to find me. I didn't know what to say to Govinda, whether I should lie and say they were right behind me… or whether I should say I was on my own, in case my family really was on their way. I didn't want to give anyone away, but I didn't want them to hurt me… I vacillated, biting my lip. "I don't know where my family is," I said at last. "Where's Nahuel?"

"You'll see him shortly."

"That's what Demetri said. I didn't believe him. So why don't you just tell me what you're about and let's get this over with."

Govinda smiled. "Ah, Americans. Always so direct." He spread his hands on the desk as if straightening imaginary papers. "I'm here to determine your talent."

"I already know my _talent,_ thanks, and so does the rest of the vampire world." What was with this guy? "From your bright eyes, you're not a year old to this life. If you'd been around longer, you would already know what I can do." I showed him my hands.

This time Govinda's smile was condescending. "I'm well aware that you can show others your thoughts with touch." He raised his eyebrows as though waiting for something.

I jerked my chin up. "Yes. So?"

Govinda's laugh was high, almost girlish. "And… I see that's all you know."

_Huh_? "What do you mean?"

"I think it bears further study. Demetri, she would make a fine candidate." Govinda sounded confident in his assessment of me. "Send the other one in."

I stared into Govinda's scarlet eyes for a long beat. I remembered reading about his disappearance… how he'd been lured away from a party by a stunning blond. The Volturi had obviously hand-picked him to become a vampire. It was no accident. But why?

_Head-hunter_. Govinda's human job. And what did a corporate head-hunter do? He found talent.

Govinda must be another Eleazar. The Volturi would have been desperate for another and had turned Govinda in the hope that he could do the same thing. It had worked… He could tell what a vampire's powers might be… and he'd told me _that's all I know_. Did he mean I could do more than I already did?

There was no time to contemplate it. Demetri pointed at the door and I walked out, shooting one last look at Govinda. He steepled his hands and looked up at the ceiling.

"Do not try to leave. This place is surrounded," Demetri said. He opened another door and stood, waiting for me to enter. "In."

"My parents are going to hear about this," I muttered. The door slammed behind me. The room was darkened by thick wooden shutters covering the window; a long crack of white light split the shadows in two.

Nahuel stood in the corner, apparently unharmed. His eyes glimmered in the darkness.

I flew forward and grabbed his hand. _You're all right!_

"I'm all right," he agreed. "Are you?"

_Yes. _I sent him a recap of my conversation with Govinda so he would know what to expect. _How long were we… with Alec?_

Nahuel shuddered slightly. It must have gone very much against his hunter's grain to be without his senses. "I don't know. We're north of Rio now. I can smell it from the vegetation." He took a deep breath through his nose. "Aylen's not here. None of the smells are familiar."

_Didn't you have more than one sister? Where are the others?_

He closed his eyes. "I am not in contact with either of them. Dulce and Juanita. They… chose to follow my father closely. My father the _scientist_. And they are quite unashamed about their origins. Very prideful. They still are, even thought the Volturi killed our father several decades ago."

_But not Aylen?_ I wanted to know more about my friend. After all, her cry for help had brought me to choose Brazil instead of drifting randomly.

"No. Aylen is… odd, and clever. Rather like you, I think. It is no wonder you've chosen similar occupations. She is happiest working alone, cracking some problem."

I knew that much. She was a formidable foe in Warcraft.

"She'd fallen out with my father before I ever met her. They argued all the time and finally she left. Disappeared into Rio. Made her own way."

_What does she look like?_

"Long black hair, blue eyes. She took after our father. Very slim, tall." Nahuel gazed down at me. "She is not so beautiful as you, I think."

I blushed and dropped his hand. No one had ever looked at me quite like that, except for – I cut off my memory. I wanted to stay in the moment. I wasn't sure how many moments I would have left.

"Nessie," said Nahuel. His voice was deep, confident, with traces of native and Latin in his accent. Although he wore a thoroughly modern shirt and jeans and trainers, he looked like he belonged in a loin cloth. Or even naked.

I blushed again.

He raised his hand and cupped my jaw. His other hand went around my waist. I didn't know what else to do, so I let him.

"You are truly an amazing beauty," he said. "Your hair, it shines like the purest bronze. Your skin… like moonlight." His thumb brushed across my cheek. "And those eyes could melt the heart of any man. Do you know these things?"

"I – I – no." I leaned into Nahuel and rested my head against his chest. It was pleasant but slightly awkward; the fit was not perfect. An unnamed longing made my heart ache. I wasn't sure what I wanted, torn between jumping away and snuggling closer.

A knock on the door interrupted us. _Your turn with Govinda,_ I thought, and stepped away from him.

They took Nahuel for about an hour. Then Demetri was back. I was getting tired of his scent. "You again," I grumped.

Demetri was unfazed. "Come with me, please."

He led me to a large room that had been the church sanctuary. The windows were broken and the place gutted but for a few remaining pews. Another large crucifix hung on the wall at the front, a mockery of safety. A female vampire leaned up against the altar railing; she had blond hair, a long face, and a British accent as she spoke to Nahuel, who sat on the bench in front of her like an attentive student. She wore the grey cloak of the Volturi over a normal white sundress. A patch of sunlight glinted off her arm.

"Ah, Miss Cullen, please join us," she said.

Demetri dropped me off and glided away. I sat down beside Nahuel and touched his arm, for reassurance more than anything else.

Seeing the touch, the vampire smiled. "I'm called Chelsea. I'm glad you're here. I hope you weren't too alarmed by Alec's technique in getting you here. He tends to overuse his power, even when someone clearly means no harm." She smiled at us.

"That's… okay?" I said, wondering why she was being nice.

"I see you've comforted one another, so far away from your homes," Chelsea said.

She was right. I felt warm next to Nahuel, and pleasure shot up my arm when he took my hand in return.

"So handsome, both of you," she said.

I felt a surge of excitement… although I was frightened, I was not alone. It could even be romantic, trapped with Nahuel, and we had only each other to rely upon… I would have been blind not to notice the strength of our sudden bond, forged through danger.

He glanced over at me and I saw the same heat in his eyes.

"Now," said Chelsea, her long face growing serious. "There's this matter of your missing sister, Nahuel."

Both of us sat up straight.

"Fortunately, I have good news. Aylen is alive and well. You will see her soon, if you choose."

"Choose what?" Nahuel said.

Chelsea looked at me. "Renesmee. How I remember you. The last time I saw you, you were a tiny child, at the center of conflict."

She must have been on the field with the rest of the Volturi that day, so many years ago. I didn't remember her specifically. At least she understood who I was, and I felt myself warming to her slightly, as well. It must have been the bright atmosphere in this ruined church.

Chelsea continued, "Yet you're here, independent of your coven. What happened, Renesmee? Have the Cullens allowed you to leave, just like that?"

I thought about it. They really hadn't made much effort to find me, other than nagging my cell phone. I remembered their betrayal, the secret past between Jacob and my mother, the pain I'd felt. From this distance it seemed amplified. I had no idea why I'd put up with it for so long.

I didn't need them. I could make my own decisions. The guilt over my behavior fell away. I felt freer than I ever had, more than when I was driving away, or arriving in Rio, or setting off on my task to find Aylen. I was free of my family. I was grown up.

All this happened within a few seconds, as I stared into Chelsea's eyes, which were the color of red wine.

"I've decided to go my own way for awhile," I informed Chelsea and Nahuel.

"And you, Nahuel? What of your aunt?"

He paused before responding. "She… she can do without me for awhile. If she gets too lonely, she can always find me again. Mostly I need to find my sister. I'll see her soon?"

"Yes, soon," Chelsea said. Her mouth was lifted in a tiny smile. "Renesmee, Nahuel, I'd like to make you an offer. You both could have everything you'd ever dreamed of. Renesmee, you would find independence, the sincere appreciation of your talents, the training to make you stronger and better than you ever imagined you could be. Nahuel, you would be reunited with your sister."

It sounded good, whatever it was. Why were the Volturi so bad again? Chelsea was nice and she understood what I wanted.

Chelsea said, "I'd like you to come with me to a very special place. Aylen is there already. It's a… training facility for people like you. It's full of special people. A wonderful place. You would come with me."

A most curious desire came over me. I wanted to go with Chelsea. I wanted to belong to the same thing that gave her such a serene, confident smile. I also wanted to stay with Nahuel. I felt tied to him. I didn't want to leave his side.

"Good," Chelsea said, reading our intentions in our eyes. "I'll tell Heidi – I'm not sure if you remember her, Renesmee. She's found her mate, our project leader, and she's his representative here."

"One thing, Chelsea," I said.

"Yes?"

"What is _here_, other than an abandoned mission?"

She smiled. "This is where we conduct interviews. I'm so happy to have you with us." She reached out her hands and clasped ours, forming a triangle. "Let's go on out to the courtyard. Heidi has arrived. We'll be running on foot to the docks at the mouth of the Amazon and then taking a hovercraft up the river."

_Up the river._ This rang a bell. It felt like a lifetime ago that I hacked into the French Helios spy satellite and watched it zoom in on a spot up the Amazon river, deep in the bright green trees.

My good mood was temporarily unsettled by this memory. I knew Nahuel felt it, too, but when Chelsea smiled at us again, I felt better. We held hands all the way out to the courtyard. The sun was behind the building by now, leaving the square yard in pale blue shadow.

A figure stepped out from the colonnade.

I let go of Nahuel's hand.

My heart soared and I bit back a cry.

The flat planes of his face were a sculpture of smooth stone. His eyes – wicked, sparkling, black – found me and it was this face, _his _face, that I knew in a sudden desperate rush. I couldn't live without him. I was whole.

Jacob.


	13. Inhumanity

**Author's Notes: **Here's a nice long chapter! Happy Palm Sunday! And thanks as always to my reviewers: _KMT06055, emma, blackcat05, kmddeprez1122, midtwilight, Aiyami Sakura, _and _Perdita Durango_!

In this chapter, Nessie finally realizes the severity of her situation. Oh, she is in trouble now!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Inhumanity_

Chelsea and Nahuel stared at me, confused, as I stood still, hands clenched at my sides. _Jacob!_ I wanted to run to him, but I held back, wondering what he was doing here amongst the Volturi. This wasn't right.

Then I sniffed the air, and it was _not_ Jacob's delicious masculine scent. The Jacob-figure in the courtyard smelled of vampire… of aniseed and chocolate.

Disappointment and panic crashed through me. If that wasn't Jacob, then who was it? Or had they gotten Jacob, too, done something to him…?

Then, it clicked. I recognized that scent. It had been at Aylen's house. This was not Jacob at all. This was the vampire who'd lured Aylen. One of the Volturi, with a power to appear as someone other than who they were.

That meant that it was the Volturi who had a facility up the river, and of course it had to be the same one I'd seen on the satellite image, taken from Mendel's stolen coordinates.

Govinda Singh, the new head-hunter, was also mentioned in Mendel's code.

Mendel, the Volturi, Aylen's disappearance… it was all the same thing. And here I was, Renesmee Cullen, bane of those Volturi, the cause of their public humiliation sixteen years ago, and I'd walked straight into their arms.

I would not live through this. They were not going to let me go.

As I stared at the figure who was not Jacob, I felt physically ill at the thought of leaving him – the real Jacob, that is. I couldn't believe what I'd done. Talk about an overreaction and now I'd endangered myself. I was the center of Jacob's world, and he of mine. He would be a sun blazing lonely in an empty universe. He would implode. _What have I done…_

"Who is that?" I asked, my voice taut.

"Heidi?" said Chelsea. She seemed to realize I was seeing someone else. "Heidi!" she said in a different voice. "Stop showing off."

The not-Jacob laughed and when I blinked, it was a stunning female vampire with shining mahogany hair, a radiant smile, and long legs. She wore a short skirt and a tank top. "Who did you see?" she asked me.

I looked down at the ground as if embarrassed.

Chelsea said, "Don't worry. Heidi projects an image of someone you desire. She's wonderful at luring food."

_Food…these are not vegetarians,_ I remembered. Heidi was their huntress.

"You don't have to tell us who you saw," said Chelsea, grinning and looking pointedly at Nahuel… as if she thought I'd been seeing two Nahuels in the courtyard.

"Okay," I said softly.

"Are either of you hungry?" Heidi asked. "I brought dinner."

So that was why I smelled human.

"No," I said.

"I could eat," said Nahuel.

I glanced at him. I'd been so used to our Cullen ways that it took getting used to, remembering that everyone else of my kind drank human blood. I found myself slightly offended, like a vegetarian being forced to eat meat in a foreign country.

"Are you sure, Renesmee?" Chelsea asked.

"I just ate a huge steak, like, yesterday."

"Ah, that's right. You hybrids can survive either way." She shrugged. "All right, then, Nahuel and Heidi, go ahead and eat, and then we'll all go with Demetri."

So we would be guarded on the way. Of course.

Nahuel gave me an almost apologetic look as he disappeared with Heidi.

As I stood with Chelsea in the courtyard, waiting, I smiled at her. There was something about Chelsea I instinctively liked. In fact, she felt like the best friend I'd never had. I couldn't think of a specific reason why, though. I didn't even know her.

Suddenly, it was vitally important that I remember the near-battle with the Volturi when I was a baby. At the time I'd understood the basics – danger, negotiation, the need to show my history to these eerie vampires – but I tried to remember what my parents had said about it all afterward. They didn't relive it much. I think they'd been so stricken with panic and anxiety that it was hard to think of… _but think, Ness, think!_

Alec I knew all too well. His twin, Jane, was brutal and equally famous. Demetri the tracker, again, all too well. Aro, reading thoughts through touch. What else had the Volturi tried that day?

Muddled by the veil of time and my young age, I heard my father whispering to my mother, "She's trying to break our bonds. It's not working. Are you doing this?"

My mother: "I'm _all_ over this."

Eleazar: "Unit cohesion… Wanting to belong… Recruitment…"

Bonding. Okay.

Slam.

One more connection in my mind. Chelsea was their persuader! _Of course._ She broke the bonds between covens, so it was easier to destroy them. She strengthened the bonds within the Volturi, making it easier to get along, to fight together. And she was making me feel like I wanted nothing more than to belong to them, and to belong with Nahuel.

Without my mother's shield to protect me, I'd had no idea what it felt like. Of course I fell for it. I still I felt it now: the artificial bonds had not weakened. I just realized what they were.

There was only one thing powerful enough to resist Chelsea's persuasion. The true bonding of mates… or the overwhelming strength of imprinting. When I'd seen Jacob's face in Heidi, it had slapped me awake.

_All of this was false_.

In that moment, I understood so much. Being away from Jacob made me miss him, body and soul and mind. We were actually perfect for each other, even without imprinting. We had everything in common. Jacob would never eat a human, as I knew Nahuel was doing now. Jacob loved machines and could even put up a fair fight on a video game.

Friendship on fire.

And right now, Jake was my only anchor in reality, my unbreakable tie to what was right. I needed to live for him.

I needed to escape.

"You'll be very interested to meet our project leader," Chelsea was saying. "He's young, only fifteen years old as a vampire, although he was in his forties when he was turned. He's a genius."

"Is that his talent?" I asked.

Chelsea seemed to think about this. "Yes, I suppose it is. He was a genius as a human. Now, he's beyond brilliant. He's offered so many fresh ideas for us."

"In what field?"

"Well, he was a geneti–" she stopped. "Actually, I'll let him tell you all about it." She smiled at me.

_Geneticist,_ I finished for her. _Mendel._ "Can't wait to meet him."

I was way out of my league here – after all, even Alice and Edward had known better than to try to escape physically from the Volturi – but if I knew one thing, it was that I had to play along. It wasn't hard, since my false feelings yearned to go with Chelsea, be with Nahuel, and join the Volturi.

_Jacob, Jacob._ His face was the only thing that I knew for certain. That bond couldn't be shifted, weakened, altered, not even across the vastness of distance and time and hurt.

Nahuel and Heidi were back. Heidi's eyes were now a cheery bright red. "Ready!" she said.

I held Nahuel's hand and pressed my arm up against him. This satisfied Chelsea. I was certain she believed my thoughts, passed to him, were reinforcing the desire to join the Volturi.

Instead I thought, _Don't react, whatever you do,_ and then blasted him with the conclusions I'd just reached, Chelsea, manipulation, the utter wrongness of all this. And I was still convinced that Aylen was in danger.

Nahuel stiffened but kept his face calm. He nodded once, so fast I almost missed it.

I prayed that I could trust him. Then I thought, _When it comes time for me to escape, let me go. Act as though you're with them. It's the only thing that'll keep you alive to help Aylen._ I knew he would not escape with me… he would want to find his sister.

He nodded once more and squeezed my hand.

Outside a pair of rusty gates, there was a long road heading toward the horizon; otherwise, the mission was deserted. Middle of nowhere. We passed two Volturi guards; they wore the palest grey cloaks. Demetri waited beyond them.

"Ready?" Heidi said.

Nahuel and I nodded. I made sure to seem eager.

Then we were running, all five of us: Chelsea, Heidi, Demetri, Nahuel, and me. The sun had just set, leaving streaks of rusted orange across the darkening sky.

I'd decided to wait until we were on the river. It would be much more difficult for them to track me if I were in the water… except Demetri. _If only Mom was here_. I wasn't sure yet what to do about the star tracker.

We ran all night. The stars were clustered thick overhead. _Jacob might be looking at those stars right now,_ I thought, and an unexpected tear sprang to my eye. It was swept away by the force of the wind as I ran. My sandals did not hold up well against the untamed landscape of loose rock and scrub brush; they fell off around midnight.

By sunrise, my jeans had holes ripped in them, and my silk camisole top was snagged. One of the straps had come loose and I'd needed to tie it en route. The hairstyle given to me at the hotel was long gone; this tropical air turned my hair into a wild mass of curls.

"Hurry," said Heidi. "We need to be on the boat by the time the sun comes up."

I was exhausted. My feet pounded along the ground, a beat to match my heart, taking me closer and closer to the "facility", where I knew something awful awaited me. Their vampire genius, their scientist… I didn't trust it one bit. The land was flat and overgrown with lush plants. We were close to the mouth of the Amazon now; I could smell the shift in the sea to our right. It was less briny, as though a huge amount of fresh water was pouring in from somewhere.

Just before the sun peeked up over the edge of the horizon, we arrived at a small, rotten dock. It appeared abandoned but for the sparkling new hovercraft moored at the end. The craft was hunched over, aerodynamic, and painted black and silver. The back was flat, with a deck, and the cabin at the front was enclosed in shaded glass.

Heidi swung the rope off its post and we all jumped onto the boat. Chelsea was at the controls, and the hovercraft's near-silent drive hummed into life.

"In the cabin until we're past the populated areas," said Demetri, pointing at the front.

Nahuel and I climbed in and sat down on a soft leather bench. My eyes drooped. It was clever of them to run us this way; being only half-vampire, we would have to rest eventually. And the last time I'd slept was in the soft, thousand-count Egyptian cotton sheets at the Copacabana Palace in Rio. Sighing as I thought of it, I let my head fall against Nahuel's shoulder. With utmost casualness, I let my hand drift over to touch his bare arm.

_Will you wake me in an hour? _

I felt him nod.

I moved my hand away and thought,_ I hope I can trust this guy._

A few seconds later, I was asleep.

* * *

Something was nudging my cheek. My eyes popped open and focused on a pale hand attached to a pale arm, over which a dark gray cloak floated.

_Oh, that's right. Volturi. Fantastic._

The gentle hum of the hovercraft's fans lulled me into a stupor; I wanted to sleep some more. I yawned big and touched Nahuel. _Thanks._

The turgid brown water of the great Amazon River slapped against the front of the craft. The river was so wide here that it seemed more like a lake. A hot early morning sun blazed into the cabin from a sideways angle. Chelsea was at the controls, Heidi stood behind her, and Demetri was outside the sliding glass door, on the open deck. His cape billowed like a storm cloud behind him.

We were far out of view of humans, so I guessed it was okay to go outside. I stood up, stretched, and said, "I need some air. Is that okay?"

"Sure," said Heidi.

I pulled open the door. The river had a peculiar smell, like the combined force of jungle decay and fish and sediment and the runoff of an entire continent. I stepped up next to Demetri.

"Do you like being one of the Volturi?" I asked. I hoped to distract him with talking. That was the extent of my plan.

"There is no greater service," said Demetri. His eyes remained fixed on the shoreline, miles away. It seemed like he was contemplating something.

"I want to learn what my talent is. Govinda said I didn't know myself."

"Then trust what Govinda says. He is very good at his job. With us, you will receive special treatment for your talent."

"Good." I crossed my arms, at a loss for what to say next. Demetri was like talking to a brick wall.

Tiny splashes knocked up against the hovercraft's edges. Every once in awhile the river would jump and splash up, almost reaching the deck.

The deck had no railing.

My decision was made in a split-second. Once we were in the jungle, I wouldn't have so much water to cover me. They would either turn the hovercraft right around, or they would split their force, probably send Demetri after me…

Without thinking any further, I backed toward the edge, keeping Demetri's back in view, noting that Heidi and Chelsea were looking forward. I balanced on all fours, stretched out my legs behind me, and slipped silently backwards off the pontoon and into the river.

I went under for a good ten seconds, watching through the muddy water as the shadow of the hovercraft moved away. Then I surfaced, and with a quick, deep breath, went under again, putting my hands out in front of me to form a hydrodynamic 'v', kicking my feet and slithering through the water like a fish.

_Move, move, move. Faster._ I followed the current toward the ocean, feeling the incredible force of the world's mightiest river behind me.

I swam underwater, surfacing only to take quick, intense breaths every ten minutes, knowing that my bright hair color would give me away. I had no idea who or what was following me. I could only imagine, though. I was just that little bit slower than a full vampire. I might have a head start, but they would catch up with me, gaining over time.

After an hour of swimming underwater, I ventured to raise my head and do faster, more efficient breaststrokes. Also, I couldn't see two feet in front of me in this water, and I didn't want to run into an island or something.

When I surfaced, I saw water, water everywhere, and it was only the current that told me which way to the ocean. The huge, open mouth of the Atlantic, all water, all the way to Africa. The vastness of it was mind-boggling.

I dared to glance behind me and swore out loud.

Demetri was in the water about a half-mile behind me. And gaining.

Would he kill me? Would he overpower me and bring me back to the Volturi? I was dead sooner or later. _What was I thinking?_ There was nothing and no one to help me now. Another foolhardy move.

Another hour, and Demetri had halved the distance between us. His black hair was slick; he looked like an otter, diving in and out of the brown water. His pace was measured and relentless. He was wearing me down.

I cut across the current at a diagonal. I needed to get on shore. I prayed there would be no humans around to see Demetri; he would kill them if they witnessed us mid-chase. A flat green island spread across the view to my right. I headed for the white edge of its shore. The water got warmer as it grew shallower.

My feet touched the silted bottom and I pulled myself up, catapulting into the trees, skirting the beach. My soaking wet clothes were a psychological burden but I could hardly pause take them off.

I heard Demetri's footsteps racing behind me. Closer, closer. My own heartbeat sprinted, terrified, anticipating the pain of death. The feeling of my quick blood pulsing out of me, draining into the silt beneath my feet. The agony of my parents… of _Jacob_… there was nothing to prevent that future. I was finished. Demetri was so close behind me now.

_You know what you have to do. _

It came out of nowhere, but it was like a deep instinct, an animalistic self that snarled up to take over my actions. I felt like I was hunting.

I had to kill him.

I stopped in my tracks and swung around, breathing hard, feeling his approach. This was a fight for my life. It was a fight for Jacob's life.

The thought of Jacob infused me with strength. I would fight as though he were right behind me. I welcomed it. If I killed Demetri, the Volturi would not be able to track me or any of us. He was a ruthless vampire, and I shouldn't feel guilty about it. His humanity was long gone. He was a soldier, a machine, cold to the core.

My hands curled into claws. I wished that I'd been taught to fight as Demetri undoubtedly had.

He slowed to a walk, almost a stroll down the deserted beach toward me. A midday rainstorm gathered overhead. My heart trilled in my chest, pushing my light, sweet blood through my body, hot with terror.

As I watched Demetri, noted the confidence in his motion, the dead-level gaze, the relaxed hands, I could see that I was outclassed. I was going to lose. And did I have a strategic talent, like reading his mind or seeing the future or shielding him from finding me? No. All I could do was send my pretty little thoughts with a touch.

Or not so pretty thoughts.

What if I could distract him with nonsense? Confuse his mind, muddle his thinking, pester him with thoughts of romantic comedies or lines of computer code or the batting averages of every player in major league baseball? Better yet, distract him with thoughts of human blood, of thirst, the only thing that might take a vampire away from a task at hand?

No. I would have to get close enough to touch him, and by then it would be too late.

I thought about the text message from Alice. My parents, dressed in black, burying whatever was left of me… I choked back a sob. I couldn't do this to them, I _had _to survive. After all they'd gone through for me… my mother had given up her humanity, I'd broken her _spine,_ for Heaven's sake. This would destroy them both.

I'd been so selfish, running off. So careless, putting myself in danger, trying to solve a mystery that wasn't mine to solve. I'd overreacted. I saw that now that it was too late to change anything.

Demetri was a hundred feet away. A mere step for a vampire.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Demetri said nothing. I took that as a bad sign. He was going to kill me straight out, then. No convincing me to come back.

I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. They were shaped like my father's: piano player's hands. Sensitive. Adept. They moved across a different kind of keyboard, making a different kind of music. They could pass a thought directly into the mind of anyone I touched.

As I stared into Demetri's steady burgundy eyes, I thought of Jacob during an emotional transformation. The way he shook as though with uncontainable rage. The way his shape burst out of him, ripping apart clothing and anything else nearby.

My sensitive hands began to shake.

_No,_ I thought to Demetri. _No. I won't let you do it. I won't. No, no, NO!_

I screamed the last, unsure if it was out loud or in my head.

Demetri jerked as though he'd heard me. I guessed it was out loud.

Govinda, saying, "_I see that's all you know_." Talent-finder.

Govinda, knowing I could do more.

I raised my hands, palms outward.

The thought gathered in my head like a storm front, gaining in force, crackling with lightning. Oh, I was mad. I was more than mad. I wanted to attack this calm, trained, ruthless vampire. I wanted to shatter his confidence. I wanted to see him burn.

Staring at Demetri, I flung the thought outward from me like a spear. _Your arms and legs and hands and feet and head and body, ripped and burning, pain and tearing, purple smoke eating you, flames consuming you, and you can't even scream!_

Demetri took a step back, blinking.

Holy jalapeño, it had worked. I grinned.

Saliva filled my mouth as I thought of human blood. The scent, the delicious richness, the warmth down my throat… Demetri's eyes weren't bright, he was thirsty… taking a deep breath, I hurled the image, the taste, the scent out of my memory and into Demetri's mind.

He went stock-still. His eyes darkened and his lips curled back over his teeth. His gaze went out of focus.

I hoped he wasn't hungry for my strange blood.

Then I leaped at him.

It was like attacking a marble sculpture, but my heart was in a race to the finish line and I snarled, I bit, I clawed, I pulled. His hands bruised me, trying to find purchase amidst the distraction of thirst, head moving this way and that, unable to balance against the barrage of images I forced at him through my hands and eyes.

Still, he fought me hard. He grabbed my left arm and twisted it. I heard a sickening pop as my shoulder dislocated, and I hissed with pain. Next was a rib; with a swift blow to my abdomen, the bone snapped and I screamed.

My own scream rang in my ears. It shocked me.

Then, in an instant of pure, glittering clarity, just as I wrapped my hands around Demetri's wrist, hoping to break it off, I remembered something my father had once said about vampire minds. How they were a fine-tuned balance of powerful desires. How it took practice and focus to function.

It would only work once. Demetri was highly trained and focused. I had a mere few seconds to try…

My mind worked even faster than my body as I sent image after image into Demetri's skin. Feeding. Hunting. Human blood. Thirst. Mating. Desire. Pleasure.

He went stiff with stress. His hands, wrapping me in a chokehold, twitched and started, as though with a life of their own.

I slithered out from his grasp and, in the moment when he rolled his eyes to look at me, I lunged for his throat with hands and teeth, sinking my sharp incisors into his metallic skin. My hands yanked on his head, twisting it, and with a grinding crunch and a long swipe of my teeth, the head separated partway from his body. Enthused, I dug in to the rest, twisting and tugging, using my teeth to saw through the rock-hard tissue.

Throughout it all, Demetri didn't make a sound.

His head rolled away in the sand and I set to work on the rest of him. Hands, feet, legs… I recreated the image I'd tormented him with at first. The twitching limbs went into a haphazard pile on the beach.

Just like the bonfires I used to have with Jacob on First Beach. The pale vampire skin was almost the exact shade of the driftwood there.

_Now I need a match._

I rummaged through the pockets on each of Demetri's detached, convulsing legs. I pulled out his cell phone. _Hmmm._ In his other pocket I found what I was looking for: a blue-flame lighter, waterproof. I held the flame next to the polyester of his pants (Volturi in polyester pants? Alice would have been horrified) but the cloth was too wet. I tried his little toe instead; it worked.

I watched as the flames spread and grew in the pile of body parts, belching damp purple smoke that smelled sweet like incense.

I shivered from the chill in my heart. _I just killed a man._ The most shocking thing was the emptiness I felt. No anger, no guilt, no nothing. This frightened me most. I'd cried when my first computer had broken. I'd despaired when my third computer was infected with a virus and had to be put to sleep. And here I'd just destroyed a sentient being, a body and a mind, a vampire, a man named Demetri, and all I felt was tired.

_He wasn't a man. He was just a creature. When he tried to kill me, he gave up his rights to a fair trial._

Using a long tree branch ripped from the forest bordering the beach, I swept Demetri's ashes toward the ocean, mixing them up with the sand. The ashes that reached the ocean floated there with the bits of driftwood and seashell and pebbles.

The first fat drops of the rainstorm hit my face as I turned away and began to run.


	14. Desperation

**Author's Notes: **Yikes, it's been a whole week since I updated! Here's a little chapter to tide us over until the next :) Thank you to all the reviewers! _LehcarMarie, kmddeprez1122, midtwilight, Perdita Durango, emma, Tashibi5, banananasbff123, x-rayLady, blackcat05, KMT06055, Aiyami Sakura, born-a-retard-991, _and _Miamore_!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Desperation_

According to Demetri's (fortunately waterproof) phone, it was the thirty-first of December. It was a good thing I'd thought to take the phone, because I would barely have known day from night, let alone the date, because I was so exhausted.

After leaving the ashes at the beach, I kept running, not knowing if anyone else was after me. After awhile I decided to swim so I couldn't be tracked, coming onshore only to hunt once. I took down some sort of pygmy deer that was unsatisfying, then a wild pig, which was surprisingly tasty. Then it was back into the water.

Every stroke was painful. I'd popped my own shoulder back into place, but the broken rib was killing me. Large bruises had spread across my arms, chest, and especially the abdomen, surrounding the rib. I would have been crying except for the salty ocean that swept my tears away as soon as they formed.

I didn't know what I would find when I returned to Rio. All I knew was that I needed a shower, a flight home, Jacob, and some quality bandaging from Carlisle, in that order.

And why was Brazil so _big_? Who knew?

Serpentine curves of the coast. Rainstorms and heavy sun. Small, ugly, silver fish that darted in and out of my path. My clothes, disintegrating with the constant motion. After awhile I got frustrated and chafed, and took off my shirt and jeans and bundled them onto my back. But that hampered me, too.

The tropical heat was a weight on my chest every time I drew a pain-seared breath. The uneven coastline was endless, beach and trees, the occasional primitive fishing village. I couldn't do this. My rib, stitching itself back together, was slowing me down. It would take a month to get to Rio at this rate.

I'd stopped for a rest and was floating on my back, checking the date. I wasn't able to make outgoing calls; the phone had a ten-digit pass code and I certainly didn't have my decryption software on me.

Yep, the thirty-first. The last day of the year.

I wouldn't be getting a kiss this New Year's Eve.

The grating buzz of a motor engine interrupted my mourning. An ancient fishing boat, with a motor that would have made Jacob crazy with that unhealthy clicking sound in the blades. I followed its path toward a… city? Cities had airports.

In the privacy of the water, I pulled on my jeans and shirt, and swam toward the shore. I pulled myself out just north of the urban area, the high-rise apartment buildings that stuck up like waving fingers. The shore was deserted except for a couple kids flying a kite. They didn't seem to find anything unusual with a fully-dressed woman emerging out of the water.

God bless children.

I walked inland until I found plausible shelter amongst the trees, and then ran. I reached the outskirts of the city, a stretch of housing that needed a paint job ten years ago. I stopped an older woman carrying a grocery bag. "_Aeroporto_?"

She looked me up and down, eyes pausing on my bare feet, her mouth agape.

I must have looked seriously messed up.

"_Por favor, aeroporto_?"

She replied in quick Portuguese, as if she wanted to get the conversation over with. She probably thought I was running from an abusive husband and didn't want him to see her helping me.

From what I gathered, there was an airport to the south, in the city.

I pointed, a question on my face.

"Fortaleza," she informed me. Then she turned and tottered away.

It took fourteen more people giving me directions until I was able to hitch a ride with a truck driver. He eyed me in a way that would have made me uncomfortable… had I not recently killed a Volturi vampire with my bare hands, burned his body, and swum half the coastline of Brazil.

Instead of blushing, I looked him in straight in the eye, and something in my expression must have frightened him. He didn't look at me again.

"_Obrigado_," I said, hopping out at the gate to the airport.

Fortaleza's airport had seen better days. The gate was rusted and weeds grew on all but one runway. I'd noticed that half this city was abandoned, too; buildings boarded up and gutted, cars stripped for parts and left on the side of the road. This part of the country must have been badly affected by the Second Depression. I only hoped there were some flights out.

I walked along the road to the terminal. A few cars went back and forth, and a single small plane landed, but it was otherwise quiet.

At the front of the terminal, a small, greasy man said, "Miss?" in English.

The red hair and white skin gave me away as being non-local. "Yeah?"

"You need a ride?"

"Yeah. In an airplane."

He frowned. "How about a ride in a taxi? I take you wherever you go."

"Rio de Janeiro."

His frown deepened. "You talk to my friend. He flies plane."

"Sounds good."

"You have money?" he asked, turning back to look at me as we skirted the outside of the terminal to an old shed labeled "Okay Airlines."

"No, no money."

The man stopped and looked at me in disbelief. "What? You running from your husband?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. I… money was stolen."

He made a _tsk_ sound with his tongue. "That no good."

"Tell me about it."

"You have… anything else?" He looked my body up and down.

_He has to be kidding._ "I have this," I said, digging Demetri's phone out of my pocket. "Brand new." _Freshly stolen._

He shrugged. "Okay."

His friend the pilot was even greasier. I didn't like the idea of taking a dodgy little airline, but I wouldn't be able to buy a proper airline ticket with no money. A barter was my best idea. I sighed, thinking of the millions I had stashed in my Grand Caiman account… but these people didn't seem the type to take an I.O.U.

"I take phone," said the pilot. "Give you ride on today's flight, cargo, to Rio."

"Deal," I said.

An hour later, I was perched on a crate of chicken feed, teeth clattering as the antique plane crawled its way upward into the sky.

The sun peaked overhead and began its descent toward the west. I closed my eyes and tried to bear the wait. Soon I would be in Rio. Opening my eyes and looking around at the dusty, random cargo boxes, I suddenly wondered whether a plane like this would be allowed to land at Rio's busy international airport.

"At which airport are we landing?" I shouted at the pilot.

"_Si_!"

"What airport?"

"I tell you, Macae!"

_Macae?_ Wherever that was, it was not Rio de Janeiro. "That's not Rio!"

"Close to Rio!"

"Our deal was for you to take me to Rio!"

"No, no. Plane no land there. These boxes go to Macae. It's close. Trust me!"

_Trust him. Yeah, right. For all I knew, Macae was in Uruguay._ "Do you have a map?"

"_Si!_"

He didn't move.

"Map!" How I wished to show my thoughts. This language barrier was a problem. With all the time my family seemed to spend in Brazil, I was surprised that I hadn't been taught proper Portuguese… but then, I'd never had to conceal my abilities before, never had to interact with humans. My family did all that for me, up until now.

Annoyed, I reached up into the cockpit and riffled through a stack of papers next to the pilot. He didn't even seem to care. I pulled out a yellowed map and found Rio… then Macae. North, on the coast. I would have to run or swim to Rio from there.

Groaning, I leaned back and slept in fits and starts until the rickety plane began its descent.

After we landed, Demetri's phone was left with the gloating pilot – it must have been worth a pretty penny for him to sell later – and I followed my nose to the ocean. I stared at the encroaching darkness from the east. The sun was setting behind me. I glanced down at myself; skin painted with rapid-healing bruises, hair tangled and filled with sand and ocean debris, clothes tattered, feet shoeless.

Without further thought I walked forward into the ocean. Deeper and deeper, I waded amongst the floating wood, the swirling sand. Waves crashed over me and I kept going. Then I started swimming south. According to the map in the plane, Rio was just around a corner of land. Just around the corner.

I floated on my back and did back butterfly strokes. It hurt my rib less. It was now sore and seemed wrongly shaped somehow. It was probably healing badly. All this activity could not be helping.

The sky grew darker above me. As I swam on my back, all alone in the warm Atlantic Ocean, I watched a shooting star streak across the field of stars. It made me feel lonely.

* * *

The hours peeled by as I swam. The land to my left grew bright as the fingers of Rio's lighted streets stretched outwards along the ocean.

When I came upon the busy harbor, I flipped onto my stomach to make it across as fast as I could. The harbor was choked with pleasure yachts, freighters, sailboats… I weaved through them, silent in the dark water. The ache of exhaustion penetrated to my bones. I prayed the Volturi didn't know where I'd been staying. I prayed Alec and Demetri hadn't spoken to my human driver that day I'd been snatched. I prayed there were no vampires waiting for me. I knew I wasn't strong enough to stand up again. My mind was fuzzy and weak; I wanted to collapse into a pair of strong arms.

_Jacob. Jacob. Jacob._ His name was the undertone of my flying heartbeat. His name was the cadence of the last, weary strokes of my arms, bringing me closer to the glittering shore.

There was something going on at Copacabana Beach. Bright spotlights dashed up against the row of glitzy hotels and grazed the sky. The beach was alive and throbbing with dancing bodies. A pulsing dance beat made my bones vibrate. I could see my hotel now, gleaming white, and long colorful silk panels rippled down from the balconies. I could hear the motion of a hundred thousand human feet on the sand as they danced. I could see the writhing and laughing and the raising of arms in toasts, champagne sparkling under the dim stars that were a million paper lanterns.

The party stretched the length of the pristine beach. I floated for a moment, bewildered. What was this? I remembered almost as soon as I formed the question. New Year's Eve. This was a party for people who had something to celebrate.

My feet sank into the soft sand as the waves bore me into the heart of the throbbing darkness, the wild abandon, the flashing gold and white and red, the twirling melee of beautiful women in mere whispers of bikinis and men in silk trousers.

My spine was straight as I stood up and walked forward. The waves crashed around me as though I was a stone. A few people noticed and stared, nudging their friends to look at the haggard girl emerging from the ocean like a battered mermaid.

I scanned the crowds that spun in front of me. I couldn't pick out anything, anyone… the scents were overwhelming… I didn't want to breathe anymore.

I walked stiffly into the crowd. They parted for me, gasping, pointing now. My instincts screamed at me to hide myself. I could not hide.

Behind me, from platforms in the water, I could smell the sharp sulfur of electronic detonation wire. I heard the hiss and pop, and a few seconds later the explosion of a row of fireworks. A million pairs of eyes lit up, the pinwheeling sparks reflected in them.

My back was turned on that spectacular fire above the ocean.

I fell forward, arms in front of me.

I crashed into the rippling broad chest of a man. His arms shot around me and then swung me up into a cradling embrace. "Shh," he said. "You're safe. Everything's all right now. I promise."

I looked up, caught in this storm of strangers, and saw Jacob's eyes, rich with an emotion I could not name, could only feel.

"Jake…" I whispered, and my head rolled back as I lost consciousness.


	15. Guilt

**Author's Notes: **Thank you all you wonderful reviewers: _kmddeprez1122, Mandy Dandy, x-rayLady, LehcarMarie, emma, Miamore, Mason14, banananasbff123, Isabella, midtwilight, sophie gate, lena m., Aiyami Sakura, tooki13, _and _amethyst_! You're the best ^_^

In this chapter, Nessie wakes up from her exhausted slumber, and finds Brazil to be as crowded as ever.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Guilt_

When I awoke, I thought I was sleeping in a cloud. It was all white, puffy, soft, and my eyes fluttered open and then closed again. It was too bright. I was sore all over and I sank further down into the pillows.

Although my eyes were closed, I was no longer asleep, and I thought about all that had happened. Demetri, dead. Me, swimming and running and flying. New Year's Eve.. the party… fireworks… stares… Jacob! But was it really Jacob? A wave of fear paralyzed me. I was afraid to open my eyes.

The Volturi must have found me and sent Heidi, just as they had with Aylen, and lured me into safety… _I'm so sorry,_ I thought toward the real Jacob, who had no way of knowing where I was.

The room was quiet and all I could hear was the gentle crash of the ocean waves outside, the low distant hum of a street-cleaning machine, the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears… and another person breathing.

A heartbeat.

I flew upward, eyes wide open. Jacob sat across the room from me.

Not daring to believe, I took a deep breath and drank in his scent, moss and pine and fur and wildness. That was him, his strong heartbeat thudding in his chest… that was him, rising swiftly to come to me, hands reaching out clasp mine.

I didn't trust my voice, so I just thought, _Jacob? Is that really you?_

"Of course it's me," he said, sitting down on the bed next to me, one hand now reaching around my back to support me, the other caressing my cheek. "Ness. Ness. I thought I'd lost you." His deep voice broke. His face was held taut, but his eyes poured out a million things, fear and relief, anger and love, panic and joy.

I waited. This couldn't be a trick, could it? After the distance I'd placed between myself and safety, it seemed impossible that Jacob was here, in Rio, with me. _I – I'm sorry, but I can't be sure it's you._

Hurt passed through his eyes. "What do you mean?"

_I already saw you once. _I flashed him an image of Heidi, looking like Jacob, in that dusty courtyard. _It wasn't you. I – I don't trust anything anymore._

He looked very worried and peered into my eyes, the way a person might do with someone ill. "I see." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an object I recognized. "You left this in your room."

It was the Quileute bracelet that belonged on my bare wrist.

I fell forward against him, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. _Jacob._ _Jake, I'm so sorry. I've been so stupid._

"Shh," he said. "It's okay." He helped me put the bracelet back on my wrist. His strong fingers brushed the skin of my wrist and expertly closed the tiny clasp. He was solemn about it, as if this meant even more than I imagined. Then he pulled me into his lap and our embrace was a perfect fit. How could I have thought to leave this? How could I have been so angry, when he was so wonderful? I was whole, I was safe, I was with him.

We stayed like that for a long time. His hands held me like I was breakable doll, touching me gently, his chin resting on top of my head.

A soft knock on the door interrupted us. _Who's that?_ I asked with a shiver of anxiety.

"Room service," said Jacob, grinning. "Wait here."

As if I ever wanted to leave this comfortable bed, this cloud of pillows, and his embrace!

I heard the door open and a deferential human voice say, "Allow me?"

"I've got it, thanks." I heard the crinkle of money (Jacob must have tipped him) and the metallic clink of a tray passing into Jacob's hands. The door closed and Jacob carried a massive, shining, silver filigreed tray and set it down on the table. "Hungry?"

"I'm not sure," I said, the first thing aloud. My voice sounded surprisingly normal.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Ness. I'm so glad you're back, now I can relax and actually enjoy the best restaurant south of Forks!"

I laughed. "What's the best restaurant north of Forks?"

"The Lodge, of course!" He took off the metal cover and a rich aroma filled the room. "But this Cipriani is a passable second place."

I sniffed. "Is that… veal?"

Jacob flourished dramatically. "With _foie gras_ – I'm taking French, you know – and truffles and a tom-ah-to tart."

"Wow." I giggled at Jacob's ridiculous airs.

"Do you mind if I eat? I haven't had an appetite while you were…"

I looked down guiltily. "Please, eat! It makes me feel normal to see you stuffing your face."

He grinned at me and dug in with the solid silver cutlery. The dish was gone within a few minutes and he moved on to the next – partridge with figs in a chianti wine sauce. "Okay, you're eating something now," he said after finished. There was one more small plate on the tray.

Jacob helped me up out of bed. I noticed that I wore a white cotton nightshirt and socks. Also, my rib was no longer sore. Confused, I placed a hand on my side. It was taped up.

_Wait a minute,_ I thought to Jacob. _What day is it? Who taped my rib?_

"Sit down," he ordered, easing me into the armchair next to the table. "This one's for you." He uncovered the plate to reveal a potato stuffed with egg and gruyere cheese, sprinkled with black truffles. A small, rich pink round of raw filet mignon nestled up next to the potato, leaking a delicious trickle of blood.

_Maybe I am hungry,_ I thought, and Jacob smiled as he released my hand.

I sliced off a delicate piece of the filet mignon, popped it in my mouth, and my eyes widened. It almost melted in my mouth. "Oh, wow!"

"I know, right?"

"While I'm eating, please tell me what's happening," I said. "I feel so confused, and I hate not knowing what's happening."

"I know you do," said Jacob, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "Okay. It's January second. You've been out of it since New Year's Eve. And Carlisle taped your rib. He had to re-break it, it was healing crooked, but you should be fine now."

"Carlisle? He's here?"

"Everyone's here," said Jacob. "And boy, are you in trouble."

I swallowed. "Tell me everything."

Jacob sat back in his chair. His eyes wandered to the ceiling as if trying to figure out how to describe something beyond words. He took a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly. "After you left, I went a little crazy. I couldn't get back into human form for days. I could barely think straight. It wasn't safe for me to be around anyone."

I winced. I could only imagine.

"Seth finally talked me down; he and Leah stayed transformed with me. Leah's pretty mad at you, but you know how she is. In the meantime, your parents were calling around, trying to find you; the Denalis hadn't heard anything, and you hadn't taken any flights… we thought you'd maybe just gone for a drive, that you'd come back."

The pain in his voice made me ache with guilt. I'd really messed things up. I'd put him through so much torment, all because I'd been self-centered… Seeing the expression on my face, Jacob shook his head.

"Don't apologize yet," he said. "I don't blame you for running away. This was all my fault."

"No! No, Jake, it was mine –"

"Stop," he said, holding up a hand. "We can do this later. I need to tell you everything first."

I shut up and nodded.

"When Christmas morning came and went, we realized that you weren't just taking a drive. Alice tried to see where you were, but she got a lot of nothing. I think it terrified her, not being able to foresee whether we'd ever see you again…"

_Shoot._

"You weren't picking up your phone, and we couldn't think of anything to do except wait. And then I went to Esme's haunted house. I could… it reminded me of you. Your smell everywhere. I could almost see you at your computer. And then I found your printouts of that stuff on Mendel, your hacker project."

I opened my mouth, because this was still a very relevant topic. How much did Jake know about Mendel? We might not be safe, even now…

"I thought you'd probably gone to South America to look for your friend."

"You know me well," I admitted.

Jacob's mouth quirked. "Well, it turns out that running to South America is kind of a family tradition."

I raised my eyebrows, puzzled.

"Yeah, your dad kind of did the same thing when he and Bella broke up."

"They – broke up?" I was shocked. I'd never imagined them having anything but an unbreakable love.

"I'll let them tell you about that," said Jacob. "But apparently Edward bolted for South America so that he could angst about it on his own." He rolled his eyes. "You take after Edward a lot, actually…" A musing tone crept into his voice. Then he shuddered. "Anyway. I'd already booked a flight down here when Alice had a vision."  
"The coffin," I whispered.

"Yeah," Jacob whispered back, and the look in his eyes was fathomless. "That got us in gear. Everybody's here except for Charlie and Sue; they've gone back to Forks, but they're seriously worried. Charlie doesn't think people should go to South America, ever."

I laughed shortly. Bella had told me about her confinement while pregnant with me, and how she'd told Charlie that she'd caught a rare South American disease. Poor Charlie; no wonder he had a prejudice against this continent.

"We got here and found out that _Renee Masen_," he arched an eyebrow at me, "had checked into this hotel, but reported missing by one of the hotel drivers. We talked to him and he kind of freaked out. He said that he'd driven you to an address in the suburbs and you'd gone into the house and never came out. He also said that he blacked out for awhile; when he came-to, he went into the house after you, but… you were gone."

I finished the steak and the potato; it was the best human food I'd ever had.

Jacob wouldn't take his eyes off of me, as though he was afraid he would blink and I'd disappear, like a leprechaun.

"Jake, I'm so sorry…"

"We went to the house, Edward and Bella and I. It was empty, but the scent…"

I knew what he was about to say.

"It was thick with vampire," Jacob said, and his hands quivered slightly. "We… thought the worst, for awhile. Your trail vanished. So we came back here and waited. I washed your Jaguar, it was covered in mud. I… I've just been waiting."

Thick tears flowed down my cheeks. I stood up and walked over to him, and he pulled me into his lap. I curled up and planted a soft kiss on his throat, where his collar opened. He sighed.

"But you were there… when I came out of the ocean," I said.

"We'd been standing on the balcony, watching the party. They said over a million people on the beach. Edward couldn't even speak, he was so busy scanning, concentrating, looking for your mind. Like a needle in a haystack. But then he found you. Heard your thoughts. It was because you were saying my name."

I squeezed closer. I had been thinking of Jacob as I swam. I passed him the memory.

"We went down into the party, everyone except for Jasper. The emotions and the humanity… it was too much for him. But I was there, and your parents, and Alice and Emmett and Carlisle and Esme, even Rosalie, scattered along the beach, holding champagne that we didn't drink, waiting for you.

"You came ashore. To me And then you collapsed." Jacob finished by taking a long drink of water, and set the crystal down on the silver tray with a motion that seemed too precise for the largeness of his hands.

I lay still in the crook of his arm. The air was filled with our breathing; his, calm, and mine, quick with grief. "Oh, God, Jake. I was desperate to get back to you. I was never going to stay away forever. I was running back to you." I raised my face so that it was close to his.

His breath was hot on my face, his lips so close. He tilted his head down and –

There was a knock on the door.

"That'll be everyone," he said.

I bolted upright, barely noticing the twinge in my ribcage. After two days it would be almost healed.

"Jacob! There's so much more. I – I've discovered something terrible. Come on!" I rushed toward the door and yanked it open.

Edward and Bella stood in the threshold to the next room. I didn't even see the expressions on their faces; I flung myself into their arms, trembling and stammering. After awhile I noticed that Bella held me in a tight and unrelenting hug, and that Edward's hand moved over my hair in a soothing motion, and that he was saying, "Shh, don't cry, everything's fine now, everything's fine."

I'd wondered if I would ever see my parents again. I felt awful. I'd jeopardized eternal happiness. They weren't just a couple; it didn't feel right until it was the three of us together, and Jacob, too. I sensed Jacob behind me. I was surrounded, I was safe.

None of us pulled away; instead it was Alice's squeak and Rosalie's cry that interrupted. My aunts threw themselves at me, Alice wrapping her thin arms around my waist, Rosalie grabbing me by the shoulders and staring into my eyes. "Renesmee," Rosalie almost shouted, "do you have any idea how much you scared us? Don't ever do that again!" Her words were angry but her voice trembled.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"Hey, kiddo," said Emmett, appearing at Rose's shoulder. He was uncharacteristically somber.

"Sorry," I said, thinking of him having to calm a frenetic Rosalie these past two weeks.

"It's okay," he said, seeming to know what I meant.

Behind them stood Jasper, looking composed, and Esme and Carlisle. They said nothing as I stepped forward to embrace them; their quiet happiness was written on their faces.

I needed to say something now, with everyone gathered. "I know I ruined Christmas. I acted selfish and immature and I'm really, really sorry." I looked from one face to the next. I felt a wave of calm from Jasper's direction; I was already forgiven.

"Renesmee, it's all right," said Bella. She smiled at Edward. "You're not the first one in this family to freak out a little."

"She's right," said Edward sheepishly.

I gave them a wan smile. "But at Christmas?"

"There will be more than enough Christmases to make up for it," said Carlisle. "How is your rib feeling?"

"It feels a lot better. Thanks," I said.

"We used a local anesthetic, but you were asleep the whole time," said Carlisle.

"You must have been exhausted," added Esme, looking sympathetic.

"I feel rested now," I said, conscious of all eyes on me, as though I were about to break. I looked around at my family. My _talented_ family.

It was so easy to feel invincible amongst them. I was used to being protected and loved, and I felt myself falling right back into that pattern of letting others worry. But outside the luxurious walls of the hotel, something very bad was happening.

Edward's brow furrowed, hearing my thoughts.

"Mom, Dad," I said, "can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Of course," said Bella.

"It's just that a lot's happened," I said, turning to the rest of the family. "I need to tell someone about it, and then they can tell you, and we can maybe… figure things out."

"Of course," said Esme, echoing Bella.

"Let's go in here," I said, gesturing to the room where I'd slept. Jacob followed us and removed the tray to the hallway outside to be picked up. Then he closed the door and came to sit down next to me.

He seemed to know that "alone" included him, always.

"Okay," I said, "I'll tell Jacob and Mom with my hands, and Dad, you can read me, too."

Edward and Bella glanced at each other, and we all sat down together. I clasped Jacob's hand with my left, Bella's with my right, and recycled back to the start of it all.

For my parents' benefit, I told them about my internet friends, especially PeuChen91, about Mendel the hacker, about our little mystery, about her disappearance, about my worries that she'd been found by a criminal.

I skipped over my days of driving and sailing and showed them my arrival in Rio.

_Me, in this hotel, planning out the next day. The taxi, the driver, the cement-brick house. The empty rooms and then Nahuel. How PeuChen91 was his half-sister, a hybrid. Then, the faces I would never forget. Alec. Demetri._

All three of them gasped.

_Darkness. Fear. Waking up in a white room. Demetri: "Do not attempt escape." Govinda the missing businessman, the new vampire, the head-hunter. "A suitable candidate." Me and Nahuel._

Jacob growled.

_Chelsea, breaking my family bonds, tying me to the Volturi. How I wanted to hold Nahuel's hand, be with him._

Jacob growled even louder.

_The courtyard at dusk. Heidi, and I saw her as Jacob, the one I desired most. Running for the river. "Up the river." "Training facility." The hovercraft. Me, slipping off backwards into the muddy river, swimming hard…_

"Oh, God, Nessie," Edward groaned.

_Demetri. Gaining. Closer, closer._ My heart sped up as I relived it. Bella's eyes were saucers of horror; Jacob looked grim. _The beach._

The rest came in bursts, images and screams and wrenching flesh and fighting and snarling and my thoughts, streaming out of my mind like weapons, distracting Demetri only just long enough to rip him apart. _Me, watching coldly as his ashes floated out to sea… Me, swimming, exhausted, driven, hunted. _Then the rest, my journey across half the continent, and washing ashore into the world's biggest New Year's party, and Jacob waiting for me at the end of it.

Edward's eyes were closed, his lavender lids squeezed together. Bella said, "Oh, my darling, my poor baby," and clenched my hand with both of hers, holding it to her breast. Jacob's fingers twitched with the desire to transform, or to punch something.

"So you see," I said aloud, "there's a lot that's been happening."

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen…" said Edward.

_Uh oh._

"You are grounded!" Edward's eyes were a little wild. "For the next, oh, hundred years!"

I couldn't be mad at him. He was just sick with worry, realizing how close he'd been to losing his little girl. Besides, he wasn't serious.

"Oh, yes I am."

"Edward," said Bella gently.

"I'm in favor of this policy, too," offered Jacob.

I shot him a 'hey, thanks' look.

"You can be grounded with me!" Jacob said.

"I'm a grown woman," I said. "You can't ground me, even if I am in high school. And I'm so sorry about all this. I know I've endangered everything."

Edward's mouth relaxed. "That's not your fault."

"She couldn't have known about this," said Bella. "None of us could have."

"But, Alice…?" I said. Then I answered my own question. "Oh. Not if they're involving hybrids and half-breeds and whatever else…" My mind trailed off, thinking there was something even more vital to that connection. I couldn't think of it; my dad stared at me, obviously moving along the same pathways.

"All right," said Edward, "let's tell everyone what we know."

I held Bella's hand as we walked back through the suite to the large sitting room. Someone had opened the door to the balcony and the scent of the ocean breezed through, making the curtains float.

"Why are you grounded?" Alice asked.

"She's not," Bella assured us.

"I probably should be, for the danger I've put us in," I said.

"Don't leave us in suspense!" Rosalie cried.

Edward took a deep breath. He was looking at Carlisle when he said, "Nessie was captured by Alec and Demetri of the Volturi guard. She managed to escape. She killed Demetri."

It was their stillness that gave them away. The shock and the tension built up to a screaming point. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Even Jasper couldn't seem to manage to tone down the climate.

Emmett was the first to speak. "Way to go, Nessie!"

I blurted out a laugh. It was the same tone he used when he and I won a team-player video game.

"This is…" Carlisle said.

"Serious," Edward finished.

"Do the Volturi know that Demetri is dead? That you killed him?" Jasper asked.

"They must," I said. "They knew I'd escaped and that he was the one tracking me. They'll put two and two together."

"How did you do it?" asked Alice, sounding awed. "He's one of the most aggressive members of the guard!"

"I…" It was hard to explain.

"It would seem that our Nessie has inherited more than we thought," said Bella on my behalf. "In that moment of extreme stress – just like I once did – she discovered a way to project her thoughts outward. She used a series of feelings and images, like thirst, the taste of human blood, to distract Demetri enough to ki—to fight him and win."

Everyone was staring at me. "I can't do it right now," I said, embarrassed.

"Wow," said Emmett.

"Well done," said Jasper.

Jacob placed a proud hand on my shoulder.

"So, Nessie, you're pretty much number one on the Volturi's vendetta list," said Emmett.

"That about sums it up," I said.

"Demetri was an incredibly strategic asset for the Volturi," said Jasper. "Now, they can no longer find us. They're blind. Nessie, thank you for ki—for taking care of him."

"You guys can say it," I said. "I killed Demetri. So what? I just did what I had to."

"Of course you did," Esme soothed. "We're happy you did. We're even happier that you're okay."

"Are you all right about it, Ness?" Edward asked. "Don't feel bad. We've all – we're none of us exempt from such things."

"I'm fine! I just…" I sighed, sinking down into a chair. "I just wonder if I should feel bad about it, because I don't. Is that normal?"

"Yes," said Jasper, who would know best. "It was kill or be killed. It's no crime to follow your nature and defend yourself."

"We're all Americans here," said Jacob. "It's your right!"

Emmett pretended to crack his knuckles. "Yeah, sometimes it feels real nice to take down some wise guy vampire who thinks he's better than you."

"Like James," said Jasper.

"Like Victoria," said Edward.

"Like Laurent," said Jacob.

"I never got to kill anybody," Bella whined.

"That's because you were human, love," said Edward fondly.

"Hmmph," said Bella.

I was cheered by their banter. I wasn't so different from my family, after all.

"So," said Alice, "we've got one member of the Volturi guard down. The rest of them are going to be out for ashes. What do we do now?"

"Nessie," said Edward, "I think you'd better tell them what you told us, from the very beginning."

I nodded and began to speak.


	16. Plans

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to all my lovely wonderful reviewers! _banananasbff123, Perdita Durango, kmddeprez1122, SamAdams, midtwilight, tooki13, mysteryfan09, Isabella, LehcarMarie, ChocoholicFtw, juicy-georgia-peach, xMrs. Taylor Lautnerx, Miamore, lena m., Aiyami Sakura, ConradKCat, x-rayLady, sonia48, _and _eccy_. You guys seriously make my day with your enthusiasm and encouragement!

In this chapter, the Cullens try to figure out their next moves against the Volturi, and discover more about their diabolical intentions.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Plans_

The ten of us sat around the room, silent, thinking. Alice's eyes were glazed as she searched the future; Edward was with her. Bella sat on one side of me, holding my hand, and Jacob sat on the other, holding my knee. Jasper and Emmett were in whispered conversation. Rosalie stared out the window. Carlisle and Esme sat across from me, concern written on their faces.

Seth and Leah were staying down the hall. I knew why they'd come; not for any love of the Cullens and our family problems, but because I was Jacob's Almighty Imprinted One.

Idly, I wondered if and when the Clearwaters would ever imprint. Then they would understand how important it was, how Jacob and I had to be together, that it was like oxygen we needed in order to breathe.

Carlisle began. "I think we can gather that the Volturi are engaging in some kind of project out in the jungle."

"A _nefarious_ project," said Bella. I thought she just wanted to use that word; she read so many old classic novels full of such vocabulary.

"They said their project leader was a young vampire. That he'd been a genius as a human, that he's a –" I paused, trying to think of what Chelsea had been about to say about him. "I think she was going to call him a geneticist. I think he must be Mendel, the hacker who's been into all the medical records."

"That would be an appropriate name for him," said Carlisle.

Jasper looked up from his conversation with Emmett. "You said that their new talent-finder was Govinda Singh, the human businessman who vanished?"

I nodded.

"Maybe there are more. Maybe their geneticist was famously missing, too, or reported dead. Top scientists make the news."

Carlisle was frowning. "The only one I can think of is Saul Ferreira. Unsolved. And he was Brazilian… He didn't seem the type, though. I was acquainted with him. Exchanged ideas – theoretical, as far as he knew – about cross-species genetics."

Bella giggled, glancing at Edward.

Really, those two.

Jacob looked equally disgusted. "So," he said, a little loudly, "what are they doing out there in the middle of the Amazon?"

We all turned our heads to look at Alice. She shook her hands out and blinked. "I'm not getting anything. I can see fragments only, all fuzzy, like snow on a screen. White buildings, a lab, the forest… nothing we didn't get from Nessie's satellite data. Whatever it is, there must be a lot of hybrids around."

"Maybe that's our answer," said Carlisle. "Maybe the Volturi are picking up where Nahuel's father left off."

Bella tensed. "I hope not."

"There's only one way to find out," said Emmett. "We get out to that compound and break in. If they're keeping Nahuel and his sister hostage, that's not right. Besides, they're already going to be after Nessie because of Demetri." He grinned at me.

"Without Demetri, they could never find us," said Rosalie, not turning from the window. "We shouldn't get further involved. It's too dangerous."

"And what, spend forever on the lam?" Jacob said. If there was a chance to disagree with Rosalie, he always took it.

"Not risk our necks for someone we don't even know," she hissed back.

"I think we need to find out what's going on before we make any decisions," said Carlisle. He was always fair.

Alice sighed and turned back to scanning the future.

"Okay," I said. "I'm going to need my computer."

We split up. Bella called Charlie back in Forks and told him that they'd located me, that I was fine, and that the family had decided to have a bonding holiday here in Brazil. I could almost hear his grumbling disapproval over the phone.

Carlisle called Tanya up in Alaska and told her everything that had happened. Eleazar, and Carmen were on a week-long trip, but the other Denalis wanted in on it. Especially Garrett, Kate's husband. He relished the chance to be an underdog. And they'd been plotting revenge on the Volturi ever since their sister's death.

Meanwhile, Jacob retrieved my computer from the front desk – they'd taken custody of my things when my driver (his name was Fernando, and I needed to remember to thank him) had reported me missing. I set it up on the balcony, using my own satellite link to a secure connection, and my fingers probed the Net, searching like never before, tracing the ghostlike fingerprints of a genius vampire scientist.

A part of me relished it. _Finally, a worthy opponent_.

This was probably what had brought me together with Aylen. Our quick minds would naturally gravitate toward others like us. I sent messages to our other two friends, Silvius and DeviDiva. "_Listen guys, I'm going to need your help with this Mendel hacker case. Also, what do you look like? It just seems weird we've gone this long without knowing what each other looks like. I'm five-eight, red hair, pale skin._"

I got a note back from DeviDiva right away. "_You'd never guess, but I'm thirty-five, black hair, dark skin. I'm married and have three small children. My husband thinks I work for a customer service call center. Also, good luck tracking me down on that, Morphette. Every woman in Bangladesh has at least three kids._"

That was good. She didn't sound like a vampire.

Jacob dogged my side (literally) and ate the menu of the hotel's famous restaurant. He called Quil and Embry, the other members of his pack, and ordered them down to Brazil on the soonest available flight. They would have been ticked if they missed out on the battle. He and Seth also set about renting a charter plane to take us close to the coordinates. The nearest city with an airport was called Manaus.

"Make sure they're clear on exactly where we're going," I warned, thinking of that dubious cargo pilot with whom I'd hitched a ride.

"Don't worry, your dad's flying it," said Jacob.

Seth gave me great big hug. "Glad you're back safe. You can't believe how crazy Jake was acting."

In the corner, Leah was silent. That told me her opinion of the matter.

As I blushed under Jacob's intense scrutiny, and felt hot and tingly every time he found a way to touch me, I thought about Leah. _That girl needs to get imprinted. Or at least get a boyfriend and let off some steam_.

Jacob, who'd been tracing my arm with his fingers, heard my thought and chuckled.

I'd been scanning the missing persons records. It was amazing to see how many were in northern Italy, over time; a random distribution, no foul play suspected, but it was clear that the Volturi were feeding a lot of mouths. No law enforcement agency would put it together; they wouldn't believe it.

Sighing, I moved on to more specific problems. Like the missing biologists. As Carlisle had said, Dr. Saul Ferreira was the most prominent. The others had either been found or explained later. Dead end.

"Moving on," I muttered. I followed Mendel's trail into the organizations to which he belonged. Sons of Confederate Veterans – weird. The Randi Foundation, which looked for psychic ability and offered a one million dollar reward for proof – the reward had never been claimed. Those people had clearly never met Alice. And then there was the National Mental Institution Reparations Society, a social justice organization that helped families whose members had been unjustly committed. Most of their cases were from early in the twentieth century, and also from the early years of the recent Second Depression, which had lived up to its name in a lot of ways.

I found a post matching one of Mendel's routed IP addresses. He claimed to be a member of a family who needed reparations and he was looking for his own distant relatives.

I read the post and my hot blood turned to ice in my veins.

"_Hello all, I'm a descendant of Mary Alice Brandon, who was incarcerated and died while in the Mississippi State Mental Institution outside of Biloxi. Are there any other Brandon descendants out there? I'm looking to file a claim with the Compensation Board._"

"Oh my God," I murmured.

Jacob read the post, too. "What's the problem?"

_Mary Alice Brandon. That was Alice's human name. He's looking for her relatives!_

"But what does that mean?"

_I don't know yet._ There was one response to the post: someone had given him a link to a genealogical page. I clicked it.

It required membership but I went through a back door and gained access using a decrypted password. Their weak security was no match for me. There, I found Alice's human family. I touched the screen where her name glowed, reading 'Deceased.' She'd had a sister, Cynthia, who'd had a daughter… who'd had a son… who'd had a son… who'd had a daughter. It was like reading the "begot" sections of the Bible. My eyes traced down the line to the end. Nicole Goodwin, born twenty-eight years ago.

The first tingles of panic made my fingers fly. I typed 'Nicole Goodwin' into a search engine and got a rash of results. The first one screamed at me. This time I swore.

"_No leads in missing woman case_!" the headline read, from a newspaper in New Orleans. It was from a week ago. "_Twenty-eight year old Nicole Goodwin, a high school history teacher, vanished from her home in the middle of the night. Her roommate reported her missing the next morning, seeing her bed made up and a suitcase gone; there was no note. Police do not believe foul play is involved, but Goodwin's parents have offered a $20,000 dollar reward for any information leading to their daughter's whereabouts._"

Jacob frowned at the headline. "This is not a coincidence."

I nodded.

"What's going on?" Leah asked, finally taking an interest in our tense conversation.

"This," I said. "Alice's… I guess she's her… what? Great-great-great-grand-niece? She's missing."

Leah looked at us like, _So?_

"But why would the Volturi take a descendant of Alice? I don't get it," said Jacob.

"We need to show her." In my mind, I called out, _Dad! Bring Alice in here right away!_

A few seconds later, Edward and Alice were at my shoulder. "What is it, Ness?" Alice said.

"Here, read this," I said, pointing at the article.

Alice scanned it and looked at me. "Another missing person… odd."

I touched her cheek and showed her the rest. _Family line. Your sister. Descendant. Nicole is your niece_._ They took her, I just know it._

Edward hissed.

Alice looked at me, wide-eyed. "But… why?" she whispered.

As soon as I formed the answer, Edward nodded. "Makes sense," he said.

"Enlighten us, weirdos," said Jacob.

"The Volturi are talent-hunting," said Edward. "They don't have Alice. I would bet my Aston Martin that they looked for a relative of Alice's and will turn her, hoping that she'll display the same talent. After all, Renesmee has proven that powers can be passed genetically. So does Bella – after all, I find it difficult to read Charlie's exact thoughts."

"You do?" asked Jacob. "I never knew that."

"They're just very vague, private," said Edward. "Then it strengthened with Bella."

"So this Nicole could have Alice's power…" I said.

"We can't let this happen," said Alice. "It's not fair, she had a life, and…" she trailed off, her eyes glassing over.

"Oh, no," Edward said, seeing what was in Alice's head.

Leah, Jacob, and I waited, stressed.

Alice blinked, her golden eyes horrified. "She's already burning. Nicole. She's at the facility in the jungle, I can see that much. She's in a white room and tied down, screaming. She was bitten yesterday. It's already too late."

Leah was agitated and quivering. Jacob commanded, "No, be calm."

This would be hard for Jacob. It was difficult enough living with "good" leeches. It violated everything his pack stood for to see innocent humans bitten and turned to bad leeches.

I touched his arm. _This is awful._

He nodded, his mouth held in tight control.

Jasper entered the room, looking for Alice. "I felt you," he said, cradling Alice's head. "What's wrong?"

Alice nodded at me to show Jasper, which I did.

Jasper's eyes narrowed, thinking.

Edward said, "Huh. I bet you're right."

"Edward, you're so annoying!" said Jacob.

"Tell us!" I added.

Instead, Jasper spoke. "I think the Volturi are building an army. It's like a newborn army, but they're cherry-picking humans for talent. It's not random. Notice they've been taking people with special skills. Mendel, their scientist, is tracing talent through the human gene pool. They got lucky with Govinda, the corporate guy; now that they have him, they can interview human candidates. Then they take them to this facility, turn them, make sure they're brainwashed and loyal, and then…"

"But why would they be building an army at all? And so fast?" I asked.

"Because of us," said Jacob. "Why else? Sixteen years ago, those cloak-wearing creeps got humiliated in front of half the vampire world. By _us._"

"I'm afraid Jacob's right," said Edward. "It makes too much sense."

"Yeah, I get that way sometimes," said Jacob.

Alice took Jasper's hand and, looking like she had a headache, plunged into the future once more. After a minute she blinked. "We're in the forest. All of us…. Blank spots, so the wolves are there… Tanya and Kate and Garrett are on a plane, they left a note, but the others will see it too late. We're going tomorrow. There will be a fight… I can't see how it goes… We'll be there when she awakes as a vampire. Nicole." Alice took a deep breath. "And then Aro, Caius, and Marcus will come here." Her voice was despairing, unable to see the outcome.

"All of the Volturi?" Jasper asked tightly.

"Just the three and their guards. Renata. Jane. They've already decided it, they were going to check up on the project anyway…" Alice winced. "I can't see what's there. Once Aro, Caius, and Marcus arrive, their futures vanish."

"Maybe it would be easier if Renesmee and the wolves stayed back," said Edward.

"Hell, no!" I shouted.

"Not a chance," muttered Leah.

"Nessie, yes. Wolves, no!" said Jacob.

"Nope," I repeated. "Besides, I promised Nahuel I'd come back for them."

Alice let out a long-suffering sigh. "Well," she said, "if we're going on a trek into the jungle to fight the Volturi, we're going to do it in style." She grabbed my hand. "It'll be cloudy all afternoon. We're going shopping."


	17. Closer

**Author's Notes: **Big thank you's to everyone who left a review!! I appreciate all of you so muchly: _KMT06055, kmddeprez1122, Miamore, LehcarMarie, lena m., banananasbff123, sonia48, Renesmee is Awesome_ (yes she is!), _mysteryfan09, AliceAlice, Isabella, sarlovesoccer, blocklesx3, ConradKCat, Aiyami Sakura, midtwilight, xMrs. Taylor Lautnerx, luv2beloved, Everlight13, SAr, Melissa, _and _Samantha_!

In this chapter, the battle looms, and Nessie's nerves are pushed to the limit (in a good way)!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

**

* * *

  
**

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Closer_

Alice and Rosalie and I walked along Rio de Janeiro's most fashionable street, lined with designer boutiques. Bella, despite being a vampire, managed to drag her feet behind us.

I knew that the shopping trip was more for Alice's state of mind than anything else. It was a relief for her to foresee a simple outing, a dress that she would find, a pair of shoes. It made our trip efficient, too; there was no aimless browsing. Alice pointed at a shop and we walked in, leaving hordes of admiring male pedestrians in our wake.

On the streets of Rio, we were exceptional beauties, but not unheard of. This was one of the fashion capitals of the world and on the way into one shop, we passed a woman even taller and more model-esque than Rosalie, and almost (though never quite) as beautiful. I noticed she'd had the expensive glow treatment on her bronze skin. She could almost pass for a vampire.

We started with bikinis. Bella and I were shocked at how much they cost for such a scrap of fabric, but Alice insisted. I chose a dark red with metallic gold threads running through it. Rosalie picked ten suits, one of which was a genuine Brazilian-style thong. "For Emmett," she said, giggling.

I didn't even want to _know_ what she meant by that.

At the next shop, for Bella, Alice bought a pair of silk cargo pants and a green blouse that set off the reddish tones in Bella's hair.

At the next store – shoes – Alice declared that boots were in season and practical for jungle-wear. I got a pair of tan ankle boots. Bella got ochre-colored riding boots. "Tuck those pants into the boots," Alice instructed her. Rosalie bought white and brown knee-highs, and Alice chose python-skin cowboy boots.

We moved on to a store with a massive gold chandelier and furniture in all shades of orange. Rosalie departed from the upcoming battle theme to buy a long, floating evening gown, and then chose a safari jumpsuit with many pockets.

"Lots of room for mirrors in there," I joked, thinking it was something Jake would say.

"Ha," said Rosalie, turning her nose up, but she grinned at me a few seconds later. I could always get away with teasing her.

For me, Alice chose a sleeveless shell top in a lavender and light brown tiger print, and a wide brown linen skirt with pockets. "It'll keep you cool," she said.

"I like these," said Rosalie, inspecting a pair of ruby and amber earrings.

"Oh, you're going to look gorgeous in them!" Alice said.

For herself, Alice chose a silk-cotton belted vest and tight cotton pants, along with a blue silk scarf to go around her neck. "All set!" she said, a little too brightly.

Bella and I looked at each other. Alice was worried.

Back at the hotel, we dropped off our purchases and gathered in the living room of the suite. Carlisle said that Kate had called from their flight; they would be landing at ten in the evening. "She said that Carmen and Eleazar will be home soon; they left a message for them to get here as soon as possible."

"This party'll be over by then," said Emmett.

"The rest of my pack should be getting here tomorrow morning, about seven," said Jacob. "They'll be ready to roll."

"We're overrunning the hotel," I said.

"Yeah," said Jacob, "You Cullens should think about keeping a house down here, seeing as you always end up in Brazil."

Bella giggled and Edward smiled knowingly.

"We already do," said Carlisle. "We own an island off the coast. It was a gift for my wife." He smiled fondly at Esme, who could be seen in the next room, looking over Rosalie's purchases.

"Oh! Psh! Well, of course you do," said Jacob. "I should have guessed you had your own island somewhere. But why does Bella look like she would be blushing, if she had any blood left?"

Bella was silent, biting her lip.

"We spent our honeymoon there," said Edward smoothly.

"Oh, ick," said Jacob.

I couldn't agree more… but I also couldn't help wondering if Jacob had once had a more jealous reaction to the cause of Bella's blushes.

"Ahem. So. Moving on," said Seth. "We're scheduled to pick up the charter plane to leave for Manaus at noon. It's fine for Edward to pilot. That okay?"

Alice paused. "Yes, it's still clouded over all day tomorrow." She wandered distractedly into the next room; Jasper followed her.

"Hope the plane is big enough for a pack of oversized dogs," said Bella, nudging Jacob in the ribs.

He shoved her back. "What do you think we are? It's a powerful jet. A big one."

"That's what _she_ said," said Emmett. He and Jacob laughed.

Rolling my eyes, I retreated to my computer. I yearned for my Spider 3000 back in Rochester. This laptop, state-of-the-art though it was, could not compare to the sheer power of my home system. I sat down and checked my mail; there was a response from Silvius.

"_We can surge Mendel's IP with a datastream, all we'll need to do is program some bots to swarm him. I learned how to do it a year ago; I've attached the code I used. I'd alter the modifiers so that it's coming from two directions. It'll put him offline and hopefully flood his drive with junk._

"_Also, I'm sixteen, and I have brown hair and brown eyes, and some girls think I'm not bad-looking at all. Why, Morphette? You want to cyber? I'm not opposed, but it might make our D&D awkward. Think about it._"

I laughed. He sounded just like a sixteen-year-old boy. He was my age… odd. I wrote him back a quick thanks and arranged a time to surge Mendel's system at eight in the morning tomorrow. I also mentioned that I had a real-life boyfriend who didn't want me having a cyber one, so Silvius was off the hook.

I hoped this bot stream idea worked. We would need to cut off their communications with the outside world so that the Volturi in Italy couldn't be warned, and so that Aro, Caius, and Marcus didn't bring anything more than a skeleton guard for their inspection.

An intuition rolled through me. Something dark lurked out in that forest, and sometimes it was best to leave monsters in the shadows. To bring them to light could prove too much to handle. The three leaders of the vampire world would be there, if Alice was right (and she almost always was), and I wondered if the conflict over my birth sixteen years ago was just the opening argument in an outright war.

No matter what, everything was about to change. The balance of power was tipping. It made me feel dizzy to think about the problem that had been lurking all these years… the Volturi, planning… the issue, unresolved.

Despite the balmy tropical air and my own body temperature, I shivered.

I heard footsteps behind me, light like a ballerina's; it was Alice. "Hey," I said, closing my computer. There wasn't much I could do with it yet, anyway.

"Could you do something for me, Ness?" Alice asked. Her chiming voice was shaky.

"Yeah, of course, anything!"

"Just decide, right now, to go along with whatever happens. Try not to make any sudden decisions. Resolve to do what we tell you. I have to try to see what's going to happen. I'm so worried."

"Yes, I can do that," I said. "That's my plan, anyway."

"'Kay," she said.

"You know, you've gotten pretty good at working around us freaky half-breeds," I smiled at her. "Don't doubt yourself. You're kind of awesome, Alice."

She smiled back at me. "Thanks, Ness. I'm doing my best." She squeezed my shoulder and walked away; I still detected a wavering in the way she walked.

An hour after night fell, I joined my family in the living room. It was an opulent place, all gleaming dark woods and silk lampshades and professional colors; it seemed too busy compared to our light, airy style of furnishings at home. Alice was gone; so were Jacob and the werewolves.

"She's thinking. And they're eating dinner and planning," said Edward.

I nodded.

"Remember, we don't fight anyone unless it's justified," said Carlisle. "We don't know what's happening out there."

"It'll be justified," said Emmett, barely containing the glee in his voice.

"I have to agree," said Jasper. He just sounded weary. "The Volturi have already overstepped the boundaries with taking Nessie. In fact, they overstepped sixteen years ago. This has been building for awhile."

"Still, we should be calm and deliberate," said Carlisle.

"Agreed," said Bella.

I sat down, worrying about how much use I would be if it came down to a fight. I wasn't as fast as a vampire; I was almost, but not quite. And I hadn't been able to replicate my thought-projection power, despite half-hearted efforts to try.

Edward said, "Don't worry. I don't plan on letting you fight, anyway, Ness."

I glowered at him. "You'll have to fight me to keep me away from the fight, Dad."

"Nessie, what you did with Demetri," Bella said, "well, just don't be surprised if it comes back if you need it to. That's what happened with me. I didn't know how to use my shield until things got really awful. And I got really mad."

"Mad Bella," said Emmett, pretending to shudder.

"Hey, I beat you at arm wrestling," she retorted.

"You couldn't now," said Emmett.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but then laughed.

Edward closed his eyes and tensed. I watched as his mind's eye saw something… then, an instant later, Alice appeared in the doorway.

"I," she declared, "have had a vision!" She skipped into the room. "But I can't even begin to explain it."

Edward looked a little bit dazed, too. As if, for the first time, he disbelieved Alice.

"It was Marcus. Of the Volturi. And he was sitting in our living room at home in Rochester. Drinking a goblet of the chimpanzee blood. He was dubious at first, and then he admitted it was a fair substitute." She looked around, glee filling her face. "It was autumn of this year. The leaves were turning. Everyone was there. I couldn't see Nessie, of course, but I did see her school notebook on the table. Don't you see? It means that we're okay."

"But… Marcus?" said Esme. "Why him? What does that mean?"

"I can't imagine," Alice sang. "Whatever's about to happen, we're going to be okay." She paused. "At least, those of us in this room."

Fear rolled through me and I felt what I imagined stomach sickness felt like. The wolves. There were no guarantees about them.

"Don't worry," said Edward to me. "The wolves can take care of themselves."

"The Volturi have never actually seen the wolves in action," said Jasper. "They have no idea how well they're built to kill vampires."

Maybe if it wasn't Jacob at risk, I wouldn't be so anxious. A small, cowardly part of me wanted the both of us to stay behind, out of the fight; I shoved the thought away where it belonged, disgusted with myself.

Edward looked hopeful for a minute as he read my thoughts; his hope turned to rue as I dismissed the idea. _Nice try, old man._

"We'll fight with the wolves as we have before," said Carlisle. "Edward and Bella, you stay near Jacob, since he's the Alpha. Nessie, I imagine you'll stay with Jacob as well."

I nodded.

"The rest of us fight as pairs. We don't know what we're up against or how many vampires are actually there. Or… whatever else they've created. Has everyone examined the satellite photo?"

Nods all around.

"Remember, there might not be any need for violence. Give them a chance to explain themselves and surrender peacefully."

"But not too much of a chance," said Jasper.

"And remember, the Denalis know what's happening, and today I posted copies of a letter to all those who stood with us last time," said Carlisle, "at least, those with mailing addresses. Though they might not be here in person, there will be many waiting to see how the Volturi conduct themselves."

Despite my nervousness, I yawned.

"You should get some rest, hon," said Bella, patting my knee.

"Okay." I stood up and looked into the white faces of my family. They were cool and smooth and so beautiful, looking like they belonged amongst the rich furniture, and yet as though they didn't. "I know you'll all tell me this wasn't my fault—"

"It wasn't," several Cullens chorused at once.

"—but I just want to say I'm sorry for walking us all into trouble like this."

"And let us go more than a decade without a good fight? No way!" said Emmett.

"Besides, someone needs to check on this situation," said Edward.

"We can't have someone trying to out-talent us," said Rosalie.

"Okay, okay!" I laughed, waving. "Goodnight, everyone."

"Night, Nessie." "G'night." "Sweet dreams."

I got down to my underwear and flopped onto the soft bed in my room, except it wasn't really my room. It was a posh hotel room full of the residual scent of other people. I left the windows open for the sea breeze to circulate; I preferred it to the air conditioning, although it was hot outside.

I kept yawning, but couldn't fall asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about the next day, and what was to come, and praying we would survive it. And what was Marcus of the Volturi doing in our living room at home? Alice was sure a strange one. She seemed certain of it.

I could just hear the murmurs of conversation from two rooms over, where the rest of the Cullens waited for Tanya, Kate, and Garrett to arrive from the airport. I tossed once in my bed, discontent. I didn't even feel tired anymore.

I stood up and went to the window, looking out on the ocean, remembering the long swim, the desperate exhaustion as I'd stumbled up onto that very beach. It was empty now but for a few couples out for a nighttime stroll, walking hand in hand.

The soft knock came on the door just as I realized what – or rather, who – it was I wanted.

My stomach flip-flopped in a very pleasant way. I grabbed the white terrycloth robe off the hangar by the door and tied it around myself; then, quiet as I could, I pulled open the door. I hoped my family wouldn't quite be able to tell which door it was. Besides, they would soon be distracted by the Denalis' arrival.

Jacob stood in the hall, the soft lights throwing his tall, muscular figure into silhouette.

Reaching out, I tugged him by the arm. _Come in,_ I thought.

He wore nothing but jeans and flip-flops. His cropped hair was messy. I couldn't stop looking at him and had to work to keep my eyes focused on his face, and not the taut planes of his stomach and the broadness of his chest…

_All planned out?_ I thought at him, thinking that if we were conversing, I might keep my wits.

He nodded and whispered, "It's a good thing these hotel rooms are so huge. We had to move all the furniture to the sides to make room."

My mouth dropped open. _You transformed? HERE? _

"Yep." Jacob grinned. "Don't look so horrified. We have tight control over ourselves now. Two decades of practice makes perfect."

_You do, but Leah?_

"She's alright. Besides, I'm Alpha. She does what I tell her."

Conceding the point, I thought, _I can't sleep._

"I thought you'd be awake." He still spoke in soft tones, as though he didn't want anyone to know he was here. In spite of imminent danger tomorrow, I knew that my dad would have kittens if Jacob slept in the same room as me.

_Whatever,_ I thought for Edward's benefit, who was surely listening to our thoughts. _Mom told me how you used to sneak into her room every single night. So don't even think about stopping me._ _And try to listen to someone else's thoughts for awhile; Jake and I need to talk privately._

I hoped that got the message across.

I sat down on the bed and patted the space next to me.

Jacob eased down next to me. The dim light from outside made a silvery outline on his skin; I saw the proud lines of his head, his profile, the sharp hollows of his muscles, the utterly capable hands. I was blown away. How had I never really noticed how attractive Jacob was? He looked like the cover of a romance novel. He looked like…_ a warrior chief,_ I thought. Magnificent.

My body was suddenly flushed. All I needed to do was reach out… but no. We really did need to talk first.

"Ness," he said.

"Jake," I said.

"I love you," he said.

The sound of those words made me take a quick breath. He'd never said them in quite that way before… not like he loved me, but like he was _in love _with me.

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

Heat emanated off his body like he was on fire. The air between us seemed magnetized, drawing me closer. I was overwhelmed with yearning for him. _Not yet, Ness,_ I told myself.

"I guess now's as good a time as any," he said.

"You sure you're not a mind-reader, too?"

"Just perceptive," he said, brushing his fingers across my cheekbone, pushing back a stray lock of hair.

I shivered, but not from cold.

"Okay," I said, pulling myself into a cross-legged position, facing him. "I have some questions for you."

"Can I answer them now? You don't even need to ask."

"It hurts me to even think about having to ask them."

"Then don't ask."

"But…"

"How about I just talk," Jacob said. "I'll tell you the whole story. I should have told you years ago. We just never thought it would be… relevant. It's so ancient, it's like it didn't even happen."  
"But it did!" My whisper was a low wail and I seized his forearm, trying to ignore its tensile strength, the hard, silky smooth skin over muscle. _You were in love with my mother before I was born. And that's twisted._

Jacob pursed his lips and said, "Are you going to let me explain?"

_Oh, fine._

"Okay. I had kind of a crush on Bella, starting when I was fourteen. And there's your first clue, I was a teenage idiot who latched on to the only pretty girl I had even a ghost of a chance with. And then, when the leech – I mean, your father – left her for her own safety, she kind of broke down. I was there, her only friend, and we became best friends."

_My dad left my mom?_

"Yeah, well, they were teenage idiots too. Okay, Edward was, like, a hundred by then, but that didn't stop him from acting the age he looks. He was convinced that Bella needed a chance at a human life without him to complicate it."

I laughed softly at the thought of my mother, born to be a vampire, ever having a normal human life.

"Yeah, pretty silly. But none of us knew better. I was glad the Cullens left; back then, we weren't such great buddies. But Bella… she was a mess. An absolute wreck. You know how vampires freak out when they lose their mates… well, Bella, being an intense vampire at heart, was a hollow shell. And I was there for her.

"Edward came back, of course, and there was a lot of drama after that, mostly because I thought I was in love with her. I think it was more like an intense physical longing to be near her, and I couldn't translate it any other way. And of course I love her as a person, too. After lots of needless trouble, Bells made her choice to marry Edward. I still hated vampires then. See, you know about the treaty the werewolves had with the Cullens?"

I nodded.

"Edward was going to violate it and turn Bella into a leech. And I couldn't forgive him for that. I ran away –"

_Oh, you, too?_

Jacob grinned in the darkness. "Guilty. And then when Bells came home from her honeymoon she was pregnant with you, and the compulsion to be near her was overwhelming. I thought I was some crazy kind of masochist… watching the lee—sorry, I mean, Edward's – baby destroy her from the inside out."

I winced. I always felt bad about that one.

"S'okay, you were what I called the monster fetus, you didn't know any better." He ruffled my hair.

_Aw, shucks, Jake._

"And then you were born, and I was completely about to kill you, and then I looked into your eyes…" he shrugged. "The rest you know."

_Okay, fine,_ I said. _But what about the kiss? And – oh, God, Jake, you didn't do anything else with her!?_

"No!" His eyes widened. "No, I never. And I kissed Bells, trying to persuade her to choose me over Edward, and frankly, it wasn't even that great of a kiss. Remember, I was a teenage idiot. It got her all mad and she punched me in the jaw. I deserved it."

_Yes, you did deserve it._

"So you see, Ness, it's all such ancient history. It means nothing now. Bella and I are exactly what we were meant to be, best friends. And I'm pretty sure I was so obsessed with her because she was almost you… that's why it was so intense. Somehow I knew that my true love was associated with Bella. I never imagined –" his voice broke slightly "—I never imagined such a miraculous, beautiful creature as you could ever exist for me."

"Oh," I breathed aloud.

"Ness," he said, taking my head in his hands, lacing his fingers through my curls. My scalp tingled under his touch. "Are you okay now?"

_I'm better than okay,_ I thought. _Jake, stay with me tonight. I don't know what'll happen tomorrow._

"I'm here," he whispered. His deep voice was a trembling vibration on the air.

I stood on my knees and leaned forward, swaying towards him. His hands moved down to my shoulders, my arms, my hands.

All I wanted in the whole world was here in front of me. He was the center of my awareness. Nothing else mattered. Feeling bold, I untied the sash of my cloth robe and let it fall open.

I was very glad that I was wearing the adorable white-and-blue lace underwear set that Alice had given me for my birthday.

I could almost feel the path of Jacob's gaze over my skin. His breathing hitched. When he finally spoke, his voice was full of wonder. "Oh, Ness…" Then his hands reached around my waist and he pulled me down next to him on the bed, and his mouth covered mine in a heated kiss.

I moaned into his mouth and twisted myself closer to him, shrugging my arms out of the robe. It was incredible, being skin to skin, feeling the contrast between the smooth ripples of his stomach and the rough fabric of his jeans. My hands raced down his spine, resting in the small of his bare back, pulling him closer to me.

His kisses were dizzying, somehow tender and rough at the same time, and I was putty in his arms. I couldn't even think, only feel as he kissed along my jaw, down my throat, down even further…

I wrapped my legs around him. "Jake…"

He could see what was in my mind and his hands were everywhere I wanted them to be. I only existed to know myself through his touch. I was nothing in the entire universe but Jake's.

Just when I felt I was about to melt from the heat between us, his breath tickled my ear. "If we go any farther, you know your dad's going to come barging in here."

I pouted. He was right.

"Besides, if we want any hope of getting him to leave us alone in the future…"

_Less talking, more kissing,_ I demanded.

Jacob chuckled, but continued, "As I was saying. You're my Almighty Imprinted One, as you love to say. That means I'm bound by wolfish duty to do the right thing for you… and that's to marry you."

_Fine, fine, marry me, whatever! Just don't stop kissing me._

Then I pulled his head down and silenced him on my own.


	18. Jungle

**Author's Notes: **Many many many thanks to the reviewers: _luv2beloved, the Nessie's, sonia48, Miamore, SamAdams, mysteryfan09, VanessaEmilyBlack, midtwilight, ConradKCat, Renesmee is Awesome, babygirl187, blocklesx3, nessie125, _and_ x-rayLady!

* * *

_

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

_Jungle_

I was in a tangle of legs when I drifted awake early the next morning. The first rays of sunshine peeked over the ocean and poked through the white curtains to light up the room. I looked down and found myself relaxed in Jacob's arms. It was his legs – still wearing his jeans – that were entwined with my bare ones.

Also, someone was banging on the door.

Sighing, I extricated myself from Jacob's embrace. He was snoring lightly and he tried to pull me closer in his sleep and prevent me leaving; I gently unwound his arms. I also put my robe back on. There was no one else for whom I dared answer the door in just my underwear. Then again, it was a lot more modest than that swimsuit Rosalie bought.

It was Bella. Her eyes paused on my mussed hair and she grinned knowingly. "Wakeup call! It's six. The hotel has sent a car to the airport to pick up Quil and Embry; their plane's landing in an hour, 'member?" She peered past me. "Jake! Time to get up!"

"Mom," I protested.

"I can smell him. And your father…"

"I hope he kept himself distracted from me."

"I did my best," said Bella.

"Thanks," I said, smiling. Then it occurred to me what she might mean, and I made a face.

"We found an animal test facility on the city limits. Carlisle ordered enough primate blood for all of us to drink up before we leave. We'll need to be well-fed."

I held her hand. _Just like that?_

Bella shrugged. "This is South America. Anything goes."

"Okay. I'll get dressed and set up my super-awesome hack attack on the facility's computers. It'll take them at least two days to untangle what I'm about to do."

"However you say, hon," said Bella, looking bewildered. "I'm just glad someone knows about this stuff." She turned to go and then paused. "And I'll leave you to make sure Jacob's awake." She winked and then was gone.

_Ugh._ I knew I would have to endure some teasing now. I just hoped Emmett stayed out of it… but that was too much to hope for.

My mood was buoyant as I pulled out my designer jungle combat skirt and top. I jumped in the shower and came out in only my towel and changed in front of Jacob, pretty sure he was still asleep, not caring if he was faking it. Then I leaned over and left a trail of kisses up his arm, shoulder, neck, and ending at his ear, which I grazed my teeth over and whispered, "Jacob… Jacob…"

Faster than I could react, he reached up and pulled me down with him. And tickled me.

_Too bad I'm not ticklish,_ I taunted, until he read my thoughts (there was one exception) and he grabbed my feet. I laughed so hard I cried. _Alice'll be mad if I wrinkle my skirt before the battle,_ I thought. _Stop it!_

Jacob grinned and leaned over me, his face filling my vision. My eyes fell closed. _Kiss, please…_

His lips were warm, gentle, a perfect good morning kiss.

_Also,_ I thought, _Bella says that Quil and Embry will be here in, like, an hour._

"All right," he said. "Oh, it's today."

I sobered. _Yeah._

Jacob was up in a flash. "Mind if I use your shower?" His face was serious, but his eyes glinted.

"If you like." The corners of my mouth turned up as I imagined…

Another knock on the door. "Renesmee!"

_Ugh. _I stood up, straightening my skirt. _Door's open, Dad!_

Edward came in, nodded once at Jacob. For once he didn't seem suspicious. I had a feeling that my mother had given him a little talk last night. After all, if we were flying into the dangerous heart of Brazilian science experiments today, it was no time to be a stickler for rules.

"Nessie, we've got some breakfast for you," said Edward.

"Mmm, blood!" I said for Jacob's benefit.

I heard him say "Aw, little leech-ling," from the shower.

In the suite's living room, I saw Tanya, Kate, and Garrett standing in a corner, talking to Carlisle. "Hey, guys!" I said.

"Nessie!" said Tanya, bounding over and sweeping me up into a hug. "We're so glad you're all right."

I paused before letting Kate hug me. She grinned widely and said, "Don't worry, I'm switched off at the moment."

Garrett laughed like she had a double meaning. "Hi, Ness," he said.

"Hey."

"So this should be pretty straightforward," Garrett said. "Get in there, put a halt to the dastardly deeds, get out with the hostages." He rubbed his hands together with glee. It was no wonder he and Emmett were such good friends.

"No, we wait," said Carlisle.

"But they tried to kill Nessie," said Rosalie, entering with an closed plastic IV bag: the blood. I could smell it. "If she hadn't thought fast with Demetri…" a quiver of horror passed over her face. "I say we give them their due."

"We will," said Jasper, from the doorway. "But Carlisle's right. If we go in quietly, we can assess who's who out there. We need to confront them and ask what's going on."

Alice's tiny hand joined with Jasper's. She'd been in a happy mood since having her vision of Marcus. "I just saw something," she said. "Denalis, your plane home is going to be delayed four hours in Atlanta."

"Oh! Um… thanks, Alice," said Kate.

"No problem!"

"So, you still don't foresee trouble?" Carlisle asked Alice.

Her brow crinkled. "Not with us. All I can see is us back at home. Aro, Caius, Marcus, and their immediate guard on their way here in a couple days. The werewolves I can't see," she shot me a look of apology, "and the facility must be full of half-vampires who will be making their own decisions. But I – I can't explain it, but I don't _feel_ that anything's wrong. I feel almost like this is meant to be."

Several of us shifted uncomfortably. Alice's visions had always been so precise. This was a new, foggy sort of premonition that didn't give us much assurance. Especially me; who cared about anything unless Jacob was going to be all right? And the rest of his pack? The loss of one of them would be like losing a brother to me.

"I believe Alice," said Bella, touching Edward's shoulder. "I know exactly what she means."

"Yes, because you kept saying that when you were pregnant, that everything was going to be fine," Edward grumbled.

"And it was!"

"Sort of," said Edward.

"Hey!" I interrupted. "I'm not just _sort of_!"

"Not you, Ness. I mean what happened afterward."

"That was the Volturi's doing," said Garrett. "They were going to find a way to attack your coven and oppress all of us, no matter what."

"We need to do the right thing here, regardless," said Carlisle. "If we let the Volturi get away with this, they'll keep building their talent army. If there's anything I've learned about human history – and vampire nature – it's that if evil is given an inch, it will take a mile."

"Exactly," said Garrett. Kate smiled adoringly up at him.

I giggled at how cute a couple Kate and Garrett were.

After I'd had my share of blood – cold, but that was all right – I went into my own hotel room and set up my equipment on the balcony. I would need to bypass the hotel's connection; I didn't want Mendel suspecting that his attacker was nearby. Edward and Bella came with me.

Jacob was gone from the room. _Is he with Quil and Embry?_

Edward hesitated. "Yes."

I noted his hesitation. _Everything all right?_ Bella, too, looked curious.

"The pack's been having some issues," Edward admitted. "It's not really my place to talk about it."

I held Bella's hand. _Yes it is, if it'll affect them today!_

"All right. Well, they'd been having some issues for awhile, actually. The others are finding it very difficult with Jacob gone from La Push. They feel leaderless. And Leah, though she's second in command, just doesn't have the presence. Also, Jacob's supposed to be the chief of the tribe, and their elders are getting… well… old. So there's some tension about being asked to fight thousands of miles away, while Jacob lives so far away."

"Oh, no," said Bella, obviously feeling guilty, as was I.

"He hasn't mentioned anything, I take it," said Edward.

We shook our heads.

"It's really not to worry," said Edward. "Jacob's authority is unchallenged. It would just be… like if Carlisle decided to take off. We'd be without the father of our family."

I turned to my computer, still frowning. This was my fault, whatever anybody said. I couldn't see a solution without disappointing someone. _Hmph._ My specialty was data and programming and the pathways of computer language… not emotional issues. I seemed to have trouble with those.

It was ten minutes to eight. Silvius and DeviDiva were already online and we prepared the assault. I routed my signal through a server in France to disguise my location. Our combined efforts were impressive: thousands of lines of conflicting code, directed by bots, would wash through Mendel's system, putting him offline for days. I had a hunch that all their communications were on the same signal; it would be too impractical to run a backup land wire through the Amazon rainforest. That meant their phones would be down, too. They couldn't call Volterra for help.

Edward and Bella were murmuring behind me and I waved at them to be quiet. I needed my full concentration. I put on a headset so I would have a direct voice connection to Silvius and DeviDiva. Really, I couldn't think why I'd imagined them as anything other than human; Sil's voice was squeaky, like a teenager's, and Devi's was throaty, like a smoker's.

"Ready," I said into my headset. My voice was also translated into a text chat box in the corner of the screen.

Then I dove into the system, seeing nothing but commands, code, lines and lines of complexity. It was like reading music. I spoke fast to my friends. I wished for my Spider, again, but my lack of power was made up by the others' systems. Using a triple-pronged attack on the security system, we traced his signal and followed it right into the hard drive at the facility.

"We're in," I said, my voice exultant. "Let's do it."

The swarm began. I was engrossed, breaking through firewalls, shutting off security alarms, opening back doors. I watched as Mendel's system was destroyed from the inside out. Pages of data flashed in front of my eyes. The pathways grew narrower as the bots clogged them, like clots in an artery. Soon they would reach the heart.

Then, a flashing line caught my attention. Silvius cursed.

"He's onto us," I muttered. "Spike him!"

"Can't," said Silvius, "he's blocked it."

I watched in horror as Mendel traced our signals back to their origins. _Please, outrun him,_ I pleaded as the bots worked. Soon, Mendel would see that I was in Rio de Janeiro. Soon, the attack would disable him. Now I could only pray that he was forced offline before he discovered my friends and me…

My hands, clutching the chair underneath me, produced a pile of sawdust as I pressed my fingers against the wood.

_Go, go, go…_ Sil and Devi were silent, too… then, just as Mendel's reverse spike was bouncing off the satellite above me, he vanished.

Dead.

Offline.

"_Yes_!" I shouted, jumping up and pumping my fist in the air. "Take that, sucker! We're coming to getcha!"

"Morphette?" DeviDiva took a moment away from her own celebratory shouts. "What do you mean?"

"Oh," I giggled nervously, "just that we've got him. He'll probably show up in the authorities' systems now."

I must have convinced her, because we allowed ourselves a good five minutes of gloating. Signing off, euphoric with our success, I turned around to see my parents staring at me with identical expressions of shock and pure pride.

"Did it," I said.

"You sure did!" Bella said.

I hugged her, then Edward.

"Nessie, even I couldn't follow your thoughts through that," said Edward, dazed. "It was like you _were_ the computer."

I could have received no greater compliment. I'd achieved the perfect meld of mind and machine. "Well, he should be incommunicado for at least a couple of days. He's cut off."

"Now we go to him," said Bella. I was surprised by the undertone of eagerness in her voice.

She must want a vampire kill under her belt.

Edward winked at me.

* * *

The plane banked high above the clouds, spread out like a soft blanket in all directions, obscuring the Amazon rainforest below. Up ahead, a range of thunderheads promised rain. Alice said, "It's raining tonight," in a quiet voice.

The luxurious interior of the charter plane was silent and serious. Five werewolves, eleven vampires, and I were lost in our own thoughts and worries. I clasped Jacob's hand tightly. The door was open to the front cabin where Edward was in the pilot's seat.

I felt naked without my electronic support. Once we were in the jungle, it would be all senses and instinct and my only gadget: a GPS navigator. Still, I would have felt better to at least have a cell phone on me… though it wouldn't have reception.

Jacob knew why I was anxious and he whispered, "Nerd."

A few had the glint of anticipation in their black or gold eyes. Seth, Quil, Embry, Emmett, and Garrett were having trouble restraining themselves from an all-out pep rally.

"Where are the Amazons?" Tanya wondered. "Kachiri, Zafrina, Senna?"

"Too far to reach in time," said Alice. "I saw them in the foothills of the Andes as of tomorrow."

"Ness, maybe you could do something like Zafrina over time," said Bella. "That's almost what she does, projecting images."

"Yeah…" I said.

"You need a summer internship with the Amazons," said Jacob.

"That's actually a very good idea," said Carlisle. "And you're right, we probably should start keeping a large home down here."

"In addition to the island, you mean?" asked Jacob.

Carlisle just smiled.

Then, we ran out of light things to say, and no one wanted to talk about the dark things ahead.

An hour later, Edward eased the plane down through the clouds and into a smooth landing at the airport in Manaus. From the air it looked like a colonial city, and surprisingly large for being so deep in the jungle. I supposed that that the Amazon River, writhing like a giant serpent beside it, was a good line for supplies.

And hovercrafts with vampires.

I could have been on that craft, and then taken to the sinister facility with Nahuel, my family with no idea where I was or the danger I was in. I shuddered and Jacob squeezed my hand even tighter. It had been far, far too close. I was glad to be amongst my loved ones now, all of them experienced enough to be a formidable force.

I reminded myself that right now, the facility was cut off, and even if they'd sent a runner to call Italy, there was no way they could get word out in time. Besides, they had no reason to suspect a physical attack. As far as Mendel – whatever his real name was – knew, it was just a hack attack.

Jacob nodded beside me, reassuring me. "Want to ride on my back once we're on the ground?" he whispered.

_Yes, please!_ I hadn't done that in awhile – not since we moved from Forks. Probably because riding between Jacob's wolf shoulders had seemed too intimate in the awkwardness of Rochester.

The plane wheeled to a stop and Jasper opened the door. The stairs reached down to touch the tarmac. It was a domestic flight so we didn't need to go through any officials, although Edward had to log the flight, which took a few minutes.

Then we were standing in a group, the most conspicuous bunch of people ever to stand around anywhere. We looked like an Amazon safari fashion photo shoot, without a photographer.

Rosalie glanced up at the clouds; I could almost read her thoughts. We were about to get our hair wet.

Fortunately, the airport was on the outskirts of the city, which meant we could take off running straight northwest. I pulled the GPS out of my pocket and swung it around my neck.

"Let's go already," said Seth.

We walked as a group to the edge of the airfield and into the trees. It smelled like loam, like overabundance, like a million rotting things and growing things. We would be running for about three hours, putting us at the facility just before dusk.

"What does it look like up ahead, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

We would be relying on her to avoid human settlements.

She said, "There's a way through the trees. Follow me until we're clear of the villages. Then we'll follow Ness and Jacob."

In the gloom, we all looked at each other. Then Quil said, "Enough waiting!" He walked behind a tree and emerged as his enormous wolf self.

The rest of the pack followed suit and we were soon surrounded by the pack, already seeming protective. The Denalis were a little spooked, I could tell, but also appreciative. It took a lot of deprogramming to get used to shapeshifters and vampires working as a team. I was pretty sure that anyone other than we Cullens and our fellow vegetarian Denalis – including Garrett, who now had golden eyes – would not qualify.

Jacob's wolf eye winked at me and I leapt onto his back. My legs just fit on either side of his massive shoulder blades. Jacob heard my slightly naughty idea through my hands that spread through his fur and he let out a huff of a laugh.

Edward pretended not to notice. Emmett waggled his eyebrows.

Yep, we weren't in Forks anymore.

Then Jacob and Edward were looking at each other, obviously communicating, and Edward nodded once. "We're ready when you are, Alice," Edward said.

"This way!" said Alice, leaping artistically over a fallen log.

We were running, almost flying.

It didn't take long to settle into a steady rhythm as I rocked with Jacob's pace, keeping balance with my knees. Around us, the smell of human faded as we swung along the river and into the untamed jungle. Other scents took over, layering into a complex portrait, lush with color and variety. Our acute senses noted the stillness of the wildlife as our party passed them by. They sensed the unnatural things in their midst. I wasn't bored as we ran; the scenery was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. My eyes kept wandering down to the soft, spongy floor, where fallen vegetation rotted… and then upward to the soaring canopy, hundreds of feet above us, where monkeys ceased their chatter and birds quieted their song as they waited for us to pass.

Very little light penetrated the canopy and it felt like twilight already. This would be a good forest to be a vampire. Always shaded, mostly deserted, scenic, and for a vegetarian, the big wildlife was varied.

I didn't like the heat much, though. It made me feel sticky. The wolves were panting in their thick fur coats. Interesting though the Amazon was, I preferred the northern forests where my body temperature was naturally protective against the elements… and where there were computers, lots of computers.

I glanced down at the GPS. We were bearing down on the coordinates. "One hour," I said aloud.

"I hope they don't have advance warning," said Tanya. "If what you suspect turns out to be true… who knows what kind of talents they have."

"We'll find out soon enough," said Carlisle.

The light filtering through the trees grew ever dimmer. Rain fell on the canopy above; we were sheltered from the full brunt of it, but heavy rivulets were channeled down leaves and trees and gathered into puddles at our feet. I felt like I was plunging forward into chaos, into the entrapment of vines and the den of monsters lurking ahead. This place had sucked in all kinds of connections for us… Nahuel and his sister Aylen, the friend I didn't even know yet… Alice's own distant relative, turned for the simple misfortune of being related to a vampire… who else did we already know at this birthing center of Volturi power?

"Smell that?" asked Esme. "We must be close."

I felt Jacob take a deep, long breath through his snout, and I did the same through my nose. A bare trace of something discordant in the forest set me on edge. It was faint; it rained a lot out here – rainforest, of course – and scent trails would be washed away. But it was there: vampire, and the strange perfume that was a hybrid.

I ran my fingers against Jacob's fur, touching his skin beneath. _This could be the trail left by Nahuel and Heidi and Chelsea._

His huge head nodded.

I glanced down at the GPS. We were close. Very close.

Jacob and I, in the lead along with Edward, slowed slightly. The others' faces tightened, knowing what that meant. How I wished I could project my thoughts in a big bubble. That would be so convenient for giving orders and passing information.

"Bella?" Edward breathed.

"Still up," Bella said, meaning her shield. She'd cloaked us with her shield since we took off from Rio, in case the Volturi had come up with another tracker like the late Demetri.

Our pace slowed even more as the scent grew stronger. If they didn't know we were on our way, they would soon know we were arrived. They would be able to smell us.

I was surprised we didn't run into any sentries in the jungle. I kept my ears tuned for electronic surveillance devices, but didn't hear anything. In fact, the forest was quiet.

Too quiet.

We stalked slowly now. The wolves pushed lightly through the dense vegetation; the vampires leapt in dancing, hunting motions. The cool glow of the GPS screen flashed a bull's eye at me: we were right on top of it.

Then, like emerging into the eye of a hurricane, we found ourselves in the clearing.


	19. Scarred

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for your patience everybody! The good news, I will update this story again on Sunday. Woohoo! And of course thanks to the reviewers: _KMT06055, Aiyami Sakura, x-rayLady, Lus-In, sonia48, mysteryfan09, Nessie, Lautnerx, midtwilight, Renesmee is Awesome, anaisdunsby, Sassy1515, o0dancer4ever0o, ConradKCat, _and _Lehcar Marie_! You guys are the bestest ^_^

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

_Scarred_

The clearing of bright, clean white buildings was utterly still. The only movement was the gentle waving of the bright green trees and bushes, the restless underside of the clouds above us… and the light fluttering of the line of gray cloaks that stood in front of us.

There were twenty of them. Volturi guards. We could not see their faces. Their hoods were pulled up. I knew, rather than felt, Bella's shield strengthen in response.

No one moved.

A long, anguished scream broke the silence. It came from inside one of the white buildings – I sniffed and the air was a potent mixture of pure human, pure vampire, and a mingling that suggested hybrids.

Another scream, the same voice.

_Someone's transforming,_ I thought.

Edward's curt nod was barely noticeable.

I couldn't even breathe with the tension. The sinister gray cloaks reminded me of Demetri, of the way he walked down the beach toward me, intent on murder. I could sense no fear from them, either. I wished someone would move. Beneath me, Jacob's steady breathing was a comfort and I tried to focus on that.

It was Carlisle, of course, who stepped forward slowly and said, "Who is in charge here?"

There was no response from the statuesque cloaks. They might have been carved of stone and wrapped in cloth. Did they even have minds, free will? Were they so indoctrinated that they could do nothing but defend their territory, more machine than human? I shivered in the warm, damp air.

The wolves, however, were moving. Jacob stayed where he was, next to Bella, but the rest of the pack fanned out on either side of us, forming a half-circle with the points arced toward the compound. As long as Jacob stayed beneath Bella's mental shield, they were all protected.

I glanced at Bella. She looked stressed, too.

"Ah," Edward breathed. He spoke in an undertone to Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded. "My son tells me that your orders are to defend this ground. And I can see you, Chelsea, there in the back. Can we speak with you?"

One of the cloaks, a darker gray than the rest, stepped forward and pushed back the hood. Chelsea caught eyes with me and I could see that she was angry. "Well, well. It's the little bird that flew away," she said to me.

I didn't respond but Bella growled at her.

"Chelsea," said Carlisle, "are you in command of this facility?"

She sneered. "No. I am in command of the guard."

"I see. We mean you no harm, but after what's happened with Renesmee, you must know that we are forced to investigate."

"And Demetri?" Chelsea said, an undertone of rage in her voice. "What of him, little bird?"

"Demetri will bother no one again," said Carlisle. "She was merely defending herself."

"And we shall defend ourselves," said Chelsea, and a ripple of agreement made the gray cloaks shiver.

Meanwhile, Edward's eyes were narrowed upon Chelsea. He said to Carlisle, "She's deliberately keeping her thoughts away from the function of this place." Then louder, to Chelsea: "What are you doing here, so far from Volterra?"

"My job," she said.

Alice and Edward hissed at the same time and their warning came a split-second before the cloaks were unfurled and the line of guards spread into a fan, hands clawed, silent and deadly, leaping toward us.

_Fight,_ was all I had time to think.

My heart was in my throat as the forest exploded into action, trees flying, the metallic screech of hand-to-hand combat, the shouts and snarls and growls. I was thrown off Jacob's back as he reared back to swipe a guard; I landed on my feet and plunged forward into the melee. Horrified, I saw Carlisle beset by three cloaks, then Esme and Edward to his rescue… the wolves bounded into the clearing, feral and unleashed, their mighty teeth snapping.

I was between Bella and Jacob, and my mother grabbed my hand as though to keep me back from the fight. Jacob tore apart a vampire with his teeth, joined by Leah to his left. White body parts flew from every direction. I couldn't tell if they were Volturi or Cullen or Denali.

Edward's voice shouted, "Stay back!" and I knew it was to me and Bella.

Alice was holding her own against a guard, anticipating every step, moving like a dervish and cutting him to shreds. The wolves had been given strict instructions not to help her, because their decisions would affect her ability to foresee the other's moves.

I heard Rosalie's screech, terrifying because I couldn't tell if it was anger, grief, or pain.

In the middle of the chaos, the skies opened up and a torrential downpour crashed down upon us.

I couldn't stand there and do nothing. My eyes narrowed on Esme, gentle Esme, fighting a cloaked guard, and saw as though in slow motion as the vampire's teeth swiped toward her neck. She blocked him and her right pinky finger was lost; she cried out in pain.

Esme, who loved to cook food for Jacob and me.

Esme, the sweetest soul, the glue that kept our family together.

Esme, my grandmother.

I felt the power rising up like a volcanic column from the base of my spine, swirling through my mind and I was moving, heedless of Jacob's quick bark for me to stay back. I couldn't watch this. I no longer cared. I was a creature of pure instinct.

My vision tunneled on the enemy vampire. I conjured a feeling of overwhelming thirst, a memory of the sweet taste of human blood, and raising my hands outward, hurled the thought into his mind.

The guard stood up, red eyes darkening, lips pulled back in a different kind of snarl. He sniffed my half-human blood, and stared at me…

It was enough time for me and Esme to leap upon him and twist off his head, arms, legs, and throw them in all directions.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Esme said, and she retrieved her missing finger from the jungle floor and pressed it back onto her hand, where it began to heal immediately. She looked at it, perturbed, as though it was a mismatched curtain.

I whirled around, looking for more.

A new line of Volturi had come out of the compound, just three of them, but they wore darker cloaks. I recognized the middle one all too well as he glided across the grass toward the line of trees.

Alec's eyes were trained on the battle, and the mirage-like shimmering of the air in front of him crept across towards us.

I could see that Bella was having a difficult time keeping the shield around us as individuals; a cloaked vampire fought against Rosalie who – I started in shock – was missing an arm.

Rosalie could _not_ be happy about that.

Her opponent was driving her back toward Bella. I felt, rather than saw, the presence of Jacob at my shoulder and we leapt together, this time to Rosalie's aid.

The female vampire didn't stand a chance against three and she was in a dozen pieces within seconds.

Jacob and Rosalie stared at each other for a long beat, and I could see their grudging respect.

A half-second later, Edward and Jasper were dragging the remains of a guard and flinging him outward into the jungle. "It's Alec!" Edward shouted. "Everyone in!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kate and Garrett fighting together, Kate's hands pressed against a guard who twitched and screamed in pain. In between the pulses of electricity, Garrett dismembered him.

Edward met Jacob's eyes and nodded shortly. "Let the wolves take care of the rest, everyone in!" Edward shouted.

Jacob stayed next to Bella and the rest of the pack yanked and tore the remaining guards outward. Although Alec's numbing fog smothered them, they carried on fighting, immune.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the fighting stopped, as though someone had pushed the pause button.

Breathing hard, I looked around at my family, taking frantic tabs on who was standing. _One, two, three, four, five…_ I almost collapsed with relief when I saw everyone intact, except for Rosalie, who was looking for her arm.

On the borders, the wolf pack ripped the remaining guards to shreds, tossing their quivering limbs in every direction. I noticed that Seth was limping and blood seeped from Embry's abdomen, as though he'd been clawed. _Not bitten,_ I prayed.

My relief did not last long. A few of the guards and Chelsea had retreated and now stood with Alec, Heidi, and a third who I didn't recognize. Alec's cloud of anesthetic pushed up against the edges of our shield.

His eyes and Bella's were locked, and Bella grinned at him.

"Here, baby," Emmett whispered, finding Rosalie's arm tucked beneath a log. It was her left arm and her wedding ring shone in the gloom. Emmett held it against her gaping shoulder and the venom in her veins began to knit the connections back together; Emmett kissed the seam as though to make it better. Rosalie's expression was outraged; I could tell she was worried about having a scar.

Carlisle's hair was mussed and his expression harried as he took a step forward. "Well? Do you care to be further decimated, or are you willing to step aside?"

It was Alec's cool, high voice that rang through the jungle. "Leave now. We have no intention to follow you. We will let you go in peace."

Edward suddenly grinned; he must have picked something from one of their minds. "No, I don't think so," he said. "This is all that's left of you, isn't it? You had no idea that so powerful a group as ours could ever find you here. You believed this place to be a well-kept secret."

Alec's expression remained sweet, but I saw the anger flash in his eyes. Edward must have been right.

A tiny flash of Edward's fingers caught my attention; a thumbs-up. A split second later, the wolves on our flanks were stalking through Alec's mist toward the small group at the center. The effect was immediate: the remaining Volturi's faces were stark with terror. I felt a fierce pride for Jacob.

"Shall we continue this?" Carlisle asked wearily. "Do you surrender? Or would you rather be destroyed now?"

They didn't respond.

Jacob must have taken that to mean, "be destroyed now," because Seth, Leah, Quil, and Embry lunged out and snatched vampires in their jaws, the three remaining guards and the one with the darker cloak. Alec's mist disappeared as he was distracted, and we surged forward, surrounding them as the wolves, including Jacob, disposed of the guards.

Alec made a strange whimpering sound and in a flash of white limbs and gray silk and Carlisle saying, "Restrain them only," and in the ghost-like whispering violence of vampire-kind, we had them caught, Alec and Chelsea and Heidi our prisoners, the tide turned toward justice.

* * *

_Please review if you liked this! And let's just say the jungle fight isn't quite done yet... uh oh...!_


	20. Amnesia

**Author's Notes: **Okay so it's almost still Sunday like I promised the update! I got a little carried away and this chapter is a lot longer than usual so I hope that makes up for my tardiness ^_^ And as always, massive thanks to the reviewers: _tooki13, midtwilight, SamAdams, lena m., stluciangirly, mysteryfan09, KMT06055, Aiyami Sakura, babygirl187, xonthe renee, sonia48, Toshibi, nessie125, ConradKCat, _and _TwilightLuver127b_!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

_Amnesia_

The tide was unquestionably in our favor. The only remaining Volturi were in a bind. Bella had yanked Alec's arms behind him, Edward supporting her. Beside Alec was Chelsea, held by Emmett and Jasper. I could see the air shimmering but only around Alec and Chelsea; Bella must have formed her shield into a doughnut shape to keep their powers contained.

"Now what, huh?" said Bella to Alec, smirking.

Alec's precious face was distorted with hatred. I imagined this was the first time he'd ever been bested.

"We need to see what else is here," said Jasper, always thinking tactically.

I agreed. Although only Chelsea, Heidi, and Alec remained in the clearing, I could smell other vampires nearby – hiding, presumably – and there was also the question of Mendel. Who was he? I doubted it was any of these three. And surely they wouldn't have placed him with the basic guard.

The Denalis and Emmett began gathering the body parts of the slain vampires, already inching back together, and heaped them into a huge pile on the lawn. The way the separated fingers wiggled was grotesque; they looked like giant white worms, writhing in the pile. I passed this thought to Jacob and he snorted agreement.

Tanya lit the torch and the gray silk went up first, then the flames spread to the bodies, releasing clouds of purplish black, incense-smelling smoke that hovered as a cloud in the humid tropical air.

Bella, Edward, and the wolves stayed with the prisoners. "I'm removing the shield for now," Bella warned them, "but if any of you make a false move, one of them," she jerked her head at the wolves, "will take care of you. Got it?"

Alec glared back at her, but did not protest.

_I have to go find Nahuel and Aylen, _I thought to Jacob, putting my hand on his snout.

His eyes were worried, but he nodded his massive furry head once.

The rest of us set to exploring the compound. I heard the drone of a powerful computer system from the first building on our left; my suspicions were confirmed with the satellite dish fastened to the roof. This was the computer I'd attacked this morning. I opened the door and stepped cautiously inside; there was no one here, but there was a bank of computer screens and a single chair, and a desk nestled beside a gigantic mainframe. Several screens held the results of analysis programs; the screens were frozen, paralyzed by me.

Carlisle was behind me. "DNA analysis," he said, peering at one of the screens.

Alice, standing in the doorway, blanked out for a moment. Shock and, strangely, amusement crossed her face. "Of course," she murmured. "Poor thing."

"Alice?" said Carlisle, placing a hand on her tiny shoulder. "What is it?"

"One of the burning ones is about to wake up," said Alice. "Nicole."

"Your niece!" I exclaimed.

We left the computer – I was reluctant, but we needed to find everyone else – and moved on to the next building.

This was an office, and from the loud hum, it housed the mini-nuclear generator in the back. Jasper went in first, and he hissed, crouching and ready to attack.

I peeked around his shoulder.

The office was all chrome and glass, with a glossy marble floor and a large water bamboo growing out of a square pot in the corner. The desk had a computer and a stack of papers and an actual in-out tray.

There were two vampires in the room: one, sitting on a black leather sofa. I knew him – Govinda.

A second vampire stood behind the desk, his burgundy eyes calm and glittering under the bright lights. He wore khaki slacks, a blue shirt, and a white lab coat. He had a sweep of lustrous black hair and a hooked nose in a carved face. When I looked into his face, some intuition told me without a doubt that this was Mendel, the hacker.

"Ah," he said in a Portuguese-accented voice, seeing me behind Jasper, "a hybrid. Not one of ours, though."

I stepped out, and Jasper made room, although he was positioned protectively in front of me. "Who are you?" I asked the hacker. "What's your name?"

But it was Carlisle who said with a slight hesitation, "Dr. Ferreira?"

The vampire blinked. "Do we know one another?"

Alice appeared at my side, with Kate and Garrett behind her. I pointed at the seated vampire. "That's Govinda," I told them, "their talent-finder."

Govinda, for his part, looked fascinated at Alice. "Your fortune-teller," he said appreciatively.

"Don't speak to her," hissed Jasper.

I was more interested in the vampire in the lab coat. He had an air of quiet assurance, as though welcoming guests to tour his facility, and there was unmistakable pride in the way he stood. There was a touch of gray hair at his temples; he looked to have been in his late forties when he was turned. If he knew what had happened outside – and he must – he showed no sign of being disturbed by it.

_Just like a scientist,_ I thought, _doesn't care about anything but his work._

Carlisle was looking puzzled. "Dr. Saul Ferreira," he said again.

_The missing geneticist!_ It had been so obvious. My fingers touched Jasper's elbow, remembering our discussion about it.

"And who are you, please?" Saul the vampire said, quirking his head.

"Carlisle Cullen."

A tiny wrinkle appeared between Saul's eyebrows. He seemed to be trying hard to remember something – a human memory, perhaps, which I'd been told were difficult to hang on to post-transformation. "The rest of you Cullens, I know by reputation. But Carlisle… the name sounds familiar…"

"Before you vanished fifteen years ago," Carlisle said, "we were correspondents. I responded to one of your papers published in a journal – you'd written about cross-species genetic alterations."

"_Dr. _Carlisle Cullen. Of course. I apologize. My human memories are so clouded." Saul jerked his hand outward as though to shake Carlisle's, then seemed to think better of it. "You wrote to me wondering about accelerated growth rates in cross-bred embryos." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Pertaining to her, I suppose."

Carlisle inclined his head.

I couldn't resist. "You're Mendel, aren't you?"

"You're direct, aren't you?" Saul replied.

"Well?" I put my hands on my hips. He probably didn't want to admit it since his system was down, courtesy of my friends and me.

"That is my online identity, yes."

I grinned. "That must have been difficult this morning, seeing your entire system flooded with bots. I do hope it got in the way of your insane work."

Irritation flashed through Saul's face and his fists clenched – his first sign of real emotion. _Typical scientist._ "That was you?" His voice was testy.

"With the help of some friends."

Saul recovered himself and peered at me more closely. "So you've taught yourself programming? Fascinating."

"I'm so glad you think so," I said sourly.

"That's enough talk," said Kate, tapping her foot on the smooth floor. "Let's take these two to Edward."

Saul went easily, flicking off the lights on his way out. Govinda had a pout on his ashy-brown face. We whisked them to where the other three prisoners waited. Everyone could see the bond between Saul and Heidi; she looked at him pleadingly. He shook his head at her.

Govinda, seeing Edward, said, "A mind-reader! No wonder the Cullens are famous."

By now it was full dark and the deep quiet was punctuated only by breathing. A couple of blue spotlights came on, illuminating the compound; the lights must have been on a timer. The forest surrounding us remained unnaturally still. From the pile of bodies, the last tendrils of purple smoke appeared lavender against the darkness.

Then, a scream rent the air, the kind of scream that comes last before the agony ends. I perked up; from the long white building at the back of the clearing – which looked rather like a hospital ward – I could hear the frantic pounding of a heartbeat.

"She's about done," said Alice.

The look on Saul's face was one of great anticipation. I looked at him with disgust; so did Edward.

"They're not even people to you, are they?" Edward said to Saul. "Just experimental objects."

Saul's eyes were cool and unapologetic.

Edward said to us, "I'm picking up on things I don't understand. One soon-to-be vampire, thinking only of the pain… two asleep, maybe hybrids? Seven other people, and their thoughts are blank. As soon as they form a thought, it disappears." He turned to the scientist. "What is that, _Saul_?"

His response was a tiny, smug smile.

"There are seven hybrids somewhere in the compound," said Edward, plucking it out of the scientist's thoughts, "one more vampire, one soon-to-be vampire, and two… _oh._" I was frightened by the expression on my father's face. He sounded choked when he spoke again. "You'll see for yourselves. Carlisle, they'll need you."

We all looked at each other. "Nahuel and Aylen…" I said.

"Let's go," said Emmett, jumping forward and eager. Garrett and Kate were at his heels, followed by Rosalie; it took us two leaps to cross the clearing and throw open the door to the largest building.

Our feet cracked the concrete floor with the force of stopping so suddenly.

A long row of clean white beds lined one wall. State-of-the-art medical equipment surrounded each bed; monitors, IVs, lights.

On the other wall was a row of glass cells. I could tell from the thickness and the tiny wires crisscrossing inside that it was the nanofiber-reinforced diamond glass used on space planes. Inside one of the cells, a thin, blond-haired woman in a hospital gown writhed, her back arched in agony. She still had a heartbeat. Her elfin features were slack, as though the searing pain of transformation had gotten the better of her muscles.

I noticed her briefly, but then I saw, at the same time as the others, the two occupants of the beds at the far end of the room.

There were no words for the horror of it.

I wasn't sure if I was projecting my thoughts or if the group of us were actually sharing the same one… but the gasps were simultaneous and pained. Carlisle in particular was stressed, his eyes wide, and I knew that he was remembering Bella.

Two human women were laid out on the hospital beds, each barely alive. Their cheeks were hollow and their abdomens distended, shaded with the indigo of internal bruising. Bags of rich red blood dripped into feeding tubes down their throats. I knew that I was looking at a picture of my own arrival into the world; this was how Bella had looked while she was pregnant with me.

And without anyone to tell the hyper-intelligent children growing inside these women, as Edward had told me, to be careful… to not hurt their mothers so much…

"No," said Tanya. "No." As if denying it would erase the sight.

Carlisle was at the side of one of the women – she was a little further along. She did not move; they both seemed to be under sedation. His doctor's touch moved along her ribs, checking the position of the baby, glancing at the heart monitor.

"Edward said they were sleeping," said Tanya, nodding down the ward. "Does that mean they've been unaware of what's happening to them?"

"We can only hope so," Esme murmured.

"Will they turn them after the babies are born?" Rosalie asked. "Is that why they turned her?" We all glanced at the final, undead throes of the woman in the cell, Alice's niece.

"This… this is unspeakable," said Kate.

"They've gone too far this time," said Garrett.

Even Emmett couldn't think of something to lighten the mood in here. The atmosphere was oppressive, clinical, inhuman.

As I stood in that awful place, filled with the scent of death and experimentation, a realization struck me like a slap in the face. I thought about what it meant to be human… not in the sense of mortal, but in the sense of decent. I saw at once that my family, the Denalis, the wolves… although we were not _homo sapiens,_ we had humanity. These vampires, the ones who'd done this… they were the true monsters.

Human was Carlisle, using reason and compassion together. Human was Esme, caring for her family. Human was Edward and Bella, loving each other with abandon. Human was Jacob, warm not just of skin, but of heart.

In that moment I also understood something about myself. I was a rational sort of person, and I thought in terms of programming and logical pathways of code and the best tactics to defeat virtual armies. But I loved men who were deeply human, who could make me forget logic and just _feel_. Like Jacob, who got me all hot and illogical. Without him, I might be like what these contractors to the Volturi had become.

Inhuman.

They were creatures, not people.

That Saul… now, he was really boiling my kettle. He needed to be punished for this. Punished _hard._ No wonder my dad had flipped when he realized what Saul was doing with these experiments; it was too close to what he and my mother had gone through.

"They're hybrid fetuses," Carlisle confirmed. "I can't imagine that these women… consented to this."

I felt, rather than heard, Rosalie's tremor of rage.

"What do we do about this one?" Emmett said, pointing at the near-vampire through the glass. "She's gonna be a raging newborn probably within the hour."

"Jasper can handle her," Rosalie said.

"I have to stay here and do what I can for them," Carlisle said. "Darling, will you look through those drawers, see if there's a measuring tape?"

Esme glided past me and went to help Carlisle.

"We need to find the others," I reminded them.

"Right," said Emmett, clearly glad to have an excuse to get out of the room.

We were back in the fresh air, the thick rainforest humidity a welcome difference from the smell in that… _talent birthing ward,_ I thought.

The next building was much smaller. The scent of the hybrids was much stronger here. The door was metal, the cement whitewashed, and Emmett bashed in the door with a nudge of his shoulder.

A rectangular patch of darkness greeted us, and beyond, eight figures… seven sitting cross-legged on the floor, one standing… I leaned forward, looking for Nahuel…

And then my mind went blank. I couldn't remember who I was, what I wanted, what was real. I stumbled around inside my own head, looking for an identity. A name. Any name.

There was nothing, and I was no one.

* * *

For an interminable time, I stood there, trying and failing to remember anything. My thoughts were short-circuiting, flashes of white interrupting me. _Me_… whoever _I _was. How did I even know I existed? I must have a name!

People – others, _not me_ - looked equally bewildered. I didn't know their faces; they were strangers. Arrangements of eyes and noses and mouths. Nothing familiar.

Panic overtook me. There was some force tugging me away from this place, not that I knew where I was. All I registered was doors, walls, trees, people. I had no point of reference and I scrambled, knowing this was wrong, _trying _to remember…

"Mom!" I called, without knowing what the word meant, only that it might give me comfort. "Mom!"

Two pale-looking individuals appeared from around a corner of the next building. They stared at us with golden eyes. _Pretty,_ I thought.

One of them, a man with bronze hair, a stranger, stopped in front of me. He looked as panicked as I felt. Then his face went blank and a crease of puzzlement appeared on his brow.

"Who are you?" he asked me.

"Who are _you_?" I asked back.

The other one, a woman, looked even more baffled. She looked into my eyes. I waited for a spark of recognition, anything to tell me who she was, but there was no connection. I'd never seen this beautiful, pale woman before in my life.

_How old am I?_ I wondered.

"Renesmee? Ness?" the beautiful woman said. She appeared to be talking to me; I looked back blankly.

"Edward?" she said, and this time there was a note of utter terror in her voice.

I felt sorry for her. "Don't be afraid," I said. "Where are we? Who are you?"

Her mouth was a perfect 'o', her eyes wide and unblinking. Why did she look so horrified?

Then she whirled and ran into the building in front of me. She wasn't gone long; she came out dragging an old lady.

The old lady was quite as pale as all of the rest of us, except her eyes were bright red. Her hair was bluish-silver and her skin was crinkled and looked frozen. Her lips were curled back over yellowish teeth. She was slight; tiny, actually. Her wrists looked fragile enough to snap at the very thought of it. Her gnarled hands were claws, but the beautiful woman had her in a firm grip.

The old lady was a stranger, too. I didn't like her. Her face was scary, harsh, haggard, cold. All I had to judge by were faces, since I had no names, no memories.

Wasn't a person supposed to have memories?

"What are you doing to them?" the beautiful woman shouted, shaking the old lady by the shoulders. "What are you doing?" The beautiful woman's head turned and she shouted, "Stay back, don't come near! I don't know what she's doing but she's disabled everybody!"

I heard a sort of bark or growl, like a wild dog. I didn't know why that ignited a feeling of warmth in the pit of my stomach, a fondness and desire to be near it.

The old lady hissed and lunged at the woman. The group of us – whoever these pretty people were – formed a circle, perhaps out of instinct, to stay out of the way.

"No," said the beautiful brunette, fury in her tone, "You're going down." She yanked the old lady and lifted her up, the old lady thrashing and kicking, and the brunette tossed her clear over our heads.

My eyes followed the screeching old lady with the scarlet eyes as she passed over my head and sailed into the middle of the grassy clearing, where she rolled and tumbled.

_Mom Dad Bella Edward where is Jacob my name is Renesmee Cullen we're in the Amazon…_ my memories crashed back over me, a confusing jumble of images and people and emotions, all crowding in upon me at once. I felt lit up inside, bright like the flashes of a meteor shower, as I came back to myself.

Mom – Bella – stood in the middle of our circle, an unfathomable expression on her face.

"Bella," Edward gasped, "I don't know what happened, I couldn't make sense of it…"

"This one's mine," Bella said, and launched herself past us at the old lady.

They slammed into one another, Bella completely silent as she bit and clawed, the old lady wheezing and cackling, and finally screaming in pain as Bella wrenched her arms off, then her legs, leaving her head and torso intact. "Edward," Bella called, in a voice as calm as if she'd been asking him to hang a picture.

Edward was at her side instantly. I knew that her shield now protected us from whatever the old lady could do.

"What is she?" Bella asked, pointing at the panting, enraged creature on the ground.

Edward was quiet for a moment, then he swore quietly. "I would never have imagined…"

I was distracted for a minute by a frantic whine – Jacob. He would be guarding Saul, Heidi, Alec, and Chelsea. The fight in the jungle and our prisoners came back to me in another flash of memory.

"She can't remember who she was before being a vampire," Edward said, glaring at the old lady, "But she had Alzheimer's as a human. Now her power is to erase memories. They call her Betty."

I glanced at Rosalie and Emmett, both paralyzed with fear. Erase memories…

"Is it permanent?" Bella asked with a quaver. "Erasing memories?"

Old Betty spat venom at her.

"No," said Edward. "Just in her vicinity, she can make you forget who you are. She – she can." He took a deep, shaky breath.

It had been even worse than being under Alec's numb cloud. I hadn't known my own parents, my own Jacob… I'd been a stranger to myself. It was the most dangerous power I could imagine. _You have to stop her,_ I thought, knowing my father would agree.

Tanya was thinking along the same lines. "That is monstrous," she said, pointing. "That power can only destroy."

"No wonder the Volturi cultivated it," Garrett said. He was clutching Kate as if he would never let her go.

Bella looked up into Edward's eyes. Their gaze was tender, relieved, wide-eyed, knowing that for a terrible moment, he'd had no memory of her.

In a violent swirl, Bella was on top of Betty, who let out one last wild scream before Bella sliced off her head with an enthusiastic sweep of teeth and hands. "You don't," Bella gasped, "hurt my _family_."

Beside her, Edward looked flabbergasted but proud.

"Go, Bella!" said Emmett, starting to clap.

I grinned. It was fun when my quiet mother got angry. Then, another howl pierced my heart: Jacob.

"Jacob wants to know what on earth is going on," said Edward.

"Just taking care of some business!" Bella shouted. "All's well."

"Hi, Jake!" I added. Then I remembered the rest of our business here, the last flash arcing across my mind, completing the picture. I turned to the building where the old lady had held the others in a mindless fog. People – hybrids – stood at the door, looking frightened.

"We should take them out with the rest," said Tanya. "Come on with us, now." She held out her hand at the hybrids. There was a woman, and a boy who didn't look full-grown. They moved slowly, glancing around with fear at our group. Three others followed; they weren't Nahuel. The Denalis moved them toward the front of the compound.

"Nahuel?" I called. "It's Ness! We came back for you!"

I saw his dark eyes first. Then he stepped out between the others. He wore a plain white t-shirt and slacks that seemed to glow under the blue spotlights of the compound. He looked dazed. "N-Ness?"

"Hi," I said softly. "You okay?"

He looked down at the ground. "I think so. I'm just trying to remember everything…"

I could not imagine what he'd been through this past week. Not only had he been brainwashed by Chelsea into participating in all this, he'd been in thrall by a vampire with an awesome and terrible power. His mind was probably just catching up to him. I dashed over to his side and took his hand, helping him fill in the memories of what we'd been through: the house, his sister Aylen, our time at the abandoned mission, my escape from the river craft.

"Yes… yes, that's right…" Nahuel blinked. His lashes were very long. He raised his eyes to Bella and Edward. "Thank you for coming. I don't know what would have happened… you were just in the nick of time."

"As you were for us, sixteen years ago," said Edward.

"It's good to see you again, Nahuel," Bella added.

Meanwhile, I was itching to see the original prisoner: PeuChen91, my internet friend. Aylen, Nahuel's sister.

I passed the thought to Nahuel and he blinked again. "Oh! Aylen!" He turned back toward the building, speaking quickly in his native language.

A willowy figure appeared from the darkness. "Nahuel?"

"Aylen!" Nahuel bounded over and grabbed her by the hands. "Our friends are here. I told you they would come." He dragged her over to me.

Aylen's eyes remained lowered and her black hair was a curtain over her face. She wore a simple linen shift and her feet were bare. Her skin had a caramel glow, even in the blue lights.

"They're the last ones," said Edward, scanning the area for minds. "We should take care of this," he said to Bella, gesturing at the torn remains of Betty, the memory-stealer. They and Rosalie and Emmett retreated, carrying the pieces. I heard Rosalie muttering about how her jumpsuit (now missing a sleeve) was ruined.

"Aylen?" I asked. "My name's Renesmee Cullen. Everyone calls me Nessie."

"Hello," she said. She didn't meet my eyes.

"Nessie's the one I told you about," said Nahuel. I could see the spark of hope in his eyes; I knew he was remembering how he held me in his arms when we were both captives. I sighed; I would have to let him down easy.

"Nice to meet you," Aylen said. Her English was heavily-accented, which perhaps accounted for her shyness.

"You already know me," I said. I took Nahuel's hand; it was warm and heavy in mine. _Did you tell her about me, that we're already friends?_

He shook his head. "I thought I'd leave that up to you."

Aylen raised her eyes, puzzled, and I was surprised by their vivid blue color.

"You already know me," I said again, "but by a different name." I grinned. "I'm Morphette."

Her blue eyes sparked with the connection. "M-Morphette?"

"That's right, PeuChen. You better be ready, because I don't plan on cutting you any slack next time we're on D and D together."

Her lips trembled, then she broke into a wide smile. "Morphette!"

"I'm so glad you're okay," I said, and held my arms out for a hug. She stepped into the embrace and I patted her on the back. "Everything's good now. We've taken care of them. I have kind of an awesome family."

"The Cullens," she said. "Nahuel told me about the time he went to testify for you. I was only four years old at the time. I was still with my father." Her face twisted. "So… you must have gotten the code I sent you?"

"You did it, Aylen. If you hadn't gotten those coordinates, we would never have found this place. It was all you."

"Well, not all," said Nahuel, rubbing his sister's shoulders. "Your bravery helped, too, Ness." There were those eyes on me again. He grinned. "Show Aylen what you can do."

"Okay, don't freak out," I said to Aylen. "But I can show you my thoughts through touch. It's kind of a reversal of my dad's power; he can read minds." I held my hand out. "He's kind of annoying that way, so if there's anything you don't want him to know, don't think about it."

She nodded. "Go ahead."

I decided to give her a pleasant memory: the time we, as a team, had beat Silvius and DeviDiva in a World of Warcraft game.

She laughed, delighted. "I remember that!"

"They helped today, too. We took down the mainframe here this morning, so the Volturi couldn't call for reinforcements."

Aylen grasped my shoulders. "Thank you," she said fervently. "It was so close, I was appointed to…"

"Don't talk about that now," said Nahuel, shaking his head. "Later."

Aylen seemed all too happy to stop talking about whatever it was. "Yes."

Her expression made me think her fate would have been something similar to the human women in the hospital ward. Victims of the cold violence of the Volturi's breeding program. I shuddered for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

Happy as I was to be united with Nahuel and Aylen, I most wanted to find Jacob. My heart ached with being out of his line of sight. We needed to get back. I seized both their hands and thought, _Let's go to where my family's waiting. They'll want to see you guys safe._

We ran across the compound to the grassy area, now crowded. The wolves were sentinels, staring in at the vampire prisoners, except for Seth and Embry, who were nursing their injuries in the jungle, and Leah – I could hear her running laps around the compound's perimeter. The other hybrids were in a cluster, sitting on the ground; I was startled to see one of the women pregnant. I hadn't noticed before. But that was a minor issue. I let go of my friends and flung myself into Jacob's furry side, wrapping my arms as best I could around his shoulder.

"Jake, Jake…"

His powerful heart beat under my hand. His black eyes were filled with pure love and relief. I gazed into the intelligent wolf's face, and realized that tears were streaming down my face.

Then he gave me a huge, slippery dog kiss on my cheek and I squealed, giggling. "Eww, gross, Jake!"

Alec, on his knees on the ground, looked at us with utter distaste.

"Too precious, are you?" I said to Alec, snuggling under Jake's chin. I couldn't resist gloating.

But I could see awareness growing in Nahuel's eyes, too.

Maybe it was better to show it rather than tell it?

Alice interrupted my romantic entanglements. "Nicole's about to wake up."

"I can't wait," said Saul.

"Shut up, you," said Emmett.

Esme came running from the hospital area. "Carlisle's done all he could for the humans. But that woman's about to wake up, and she's a newborn, and they're all in the same room." She glared down at Saul. "What were you thinking?"

"Our birthing rooms are normally well-guarded," said Saul coolly. "Had you not decimated the staff, I could have demonstrated our transformation process."

_Birthing rooms?_ My stomach roiled with it.

"I'll go," said Alice, and Jasper's hand was on her shoulder. "We're there when she wakes up." And then Alice grinned. "She's going to have a really cool power."

"See?" said Saul. "I know what I'm doing." He gazed up at Alice, still more fascinated than frightened.

Alice, Esme, and Jasper left to take care of newborn Nicole. The hybrids gathered together in a huddle. The wolves were focused on the prisoners, and Edward nodded at Jacob. "I agree," he said. "We need to get organized here."

Saul scoffed. "We _were_ organized, before _you_ arrived."

"I wish one of us had the power to mute you," said Emmett, punching a fist into his own hand. "As it is… I might just punch you in the jaw if you don't shut up."

We took tabs on the hybrids. One of them, a woman, was pregnant. And, along with Aylen, Nahuel's two other sisters were there: Dulce and Juanita. They looked alike, blond with blue eyes and disapproving looks. The others were born here at the facility from human mothers. When asked what happened to the human mothers, one of the hybrids nodded off into the jungle.

Quil dashed off to investigate and Edward hissed a few minutes later as he read Quil's mind. "A mass grave. That's not very original, Saul."

Saul's head tilted. "They were eaten first."

For a heavy moment no one spoke, but the tension in the air was electric.

Saul's words had ignited the tinderbox, flouted the ultimate law of the Quileute pack, and I knew, _knew_, it was too much for them.

Edward must have seen it coming, too, but he didn't stop it when the fire erupted in the wolves' eyes, and they snapped, lunged at Saul and I jumped out of Jacob's way as he grabbed the vampire in his jaws, from behind the neck.

Saul's teeth were snapping around and for an awful moment it looked like he would bite Jacob. I punched Saul in the face as he was dragged past me and then another fist swung from my right and got him in the jaw.

Astonished, I turned to see Aylen next to me, fist clenched, eyes blazing. "Good-bye to Mendel," she said.

We watched as the wolves tore Saul apart. I granted myself a tiny pang of loss for the great, twisted mind that was Saul's. But it was no human mind; it was that of an efficient machine. He was reduced in short order to a pile of limbs, tossed on the smoldering charcoal of old Betty's ashes. He joined his creation on the pyre.

A keening wail issued from behind me and I turned to see Heidi, hands on her head, falling to the ground. They had been mates, she and Saul. Her shining mahogany hair fanned out, and her mouth moved beneath her fingers, issuing wordless pleas.

Edward said, "No!" just as Heidi launched herself from the ground and onto one of the wolves, screaming with rage.

Her teeth were a flash of pure white, arcing toward Jacob's throat.

* * *

_**AN: **Sorry for the cliffhanger! It had to be, I swear I have no control over what this story is making me do... o_0_


	21. Questions

**Author's Notes: **Big thanks to all the reviewers! _Tashibi, LehcarMarie, mysteryfan09, sonia48, lena m., midtwilight, tooki13, Aiyami Sakura, Sirithgliniel, smittenbyTwilight, MrsTaylorLautner.X, Lus-In, nessie125, seventeen4ever, Renesmee is Awesome, x-rayLady, Miamore, _and _ConradKCat_! You guys rock.

Let truths be revealed in this chapter!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_Questions_

I cried out as I saw Heidi's teeth sink toward Jacob's fur. Unthinking, I shoved my arm between her mouth and Jacob, and felt her sharp teeth puncture my skin. I screamed triumphantly. Jacob's head whipped around, snapping onto Heidi's perfect long leg, and he twisted it off.

Biting, tearing, snarling as Heidi was killed, and then the slow burn as Heidi's venom began to work through my system. I stared down at the bite.

Someone was tugging my other arm. "Mom?" I said, seeing Bella's golden eyes in front of me.

"I know what to do," she said, and lowered her head to my arm, sucking the venom back out. Jacob was at her shoulder, staring into my eyes.

The pain diminished and then was gone completely as my mother finished. "There," she said, placing a kiss over the skin already beginning to heal. "You're clean. All better."

Jacob sighed in relief. I didn't think he'd want to be kissing a full vampire for all of eternity. And I didn't think I wanted to be one.

"Ness! Are you all right?" Edward was kneeling beside me. "Bella?"

"Ness, you taste like… I don't know what! Chocolate and lavender, maybe." Bella brushed my face with her hand. "Edward, hon, she's fine. I just did what you did. Remember?" She held up her hand where the faint outline of a scar formed a perfect crescent on her white skin.

Edward was unconvinced. He peered into my eyes. "You feel no pain? No burning? Not even a tingle?"

"No, Dad, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" My dad was so touchy about unauthorized vampire transformations.

"All right, then." Edward petted my hair and he nodded at Jacob, who nuzzled Bella's shoulder with his snout.

"You're welcome, Jake," said Bella, patting his head. "I just didn't want to listen to an eternity of your complaining, if I hadn't stopped Nessie from being a full-on leech."

I giggled. "You wouldn't want a leech between your sheets, would you, Jacob?" It must have been the close call with danger that made me so bold in front of my parents.

Jacob snorted laughter.

I glanced at my father, but Edward didn't say a word in protest. I could only hope his tolerant mood was here to stay. Rising to my feet, I put my hand on Jacob's chest and we watched the flickering blue flames as Saul and Heidi were consumed.

Chelsea interrupted. "Now wait just a minute." She was so tense that her mouth barely moved. "Heidi and Saul had nothing to do with us. With me."

"Oh, really?" Edward rounded on her. "I'm inclined to finish all of you right here, right now."

"No!" Chelsea blurted. "Please – Edward, I was just doing what I was told. Following orders."

"That excuse has not worked for others in human history. Remember the Nuremberg trials?"

"You don't know what it's like to be part of the Volturi! If we dissented, if there was disloyalty in the ranks, the vampire world would turn to chaos. There would be no one to enforce the law."

I knew that it wasn't Chelsea's persuasive powers that moved me; Bella's shield was certainly up. Rather, it was the fear and sorrow in her eyes. The others – Alec and Govinda – were quiet, their faces carefully blank. If they were saddened or alarmed by Saul and Heidi's deaths, they didn't show it.

"Fine, Chelsea. Tell us why we shouldn't kill all of you," said Tanya.

Chelsea tilted her head proudly. "Gladly. But it might take awhile."

"We have all night," said Edward.

Jacob laid down and I leaned up against his shoulder. The other wolves relaxed, too, and in the sticky heat and the buzzing insects, we listened as Chelsea spoke her excuses.

"The three elders decided that we needed a better system for detecting talent. Also, the revelations brought by your coven made us realize how little we knew about ourselves. If male vampires could – and did – have offspring, the possibilities were endless." Her mouth half-smiled. "You know Aro. He truly is a man of scholarship. We needed to find out more about how the process worked. So, he charged a group of us with establishing a test facility here in Brazil, where it all started. I was needed to help convince the… results… to join our ranks."

"The results?" said Nahuel angrily.

Chelsea ignored him. "It was shortly after the incident in Forks that Saul was turned. We'd killed Joham, the pseudo-scientist, for his flouting of the vampire laws. When it came to our own project, we wanted a real scientist, and as a human, Dr. Saul Ferreira was the leader in his field. DNA analysis, programming the genome, cross-species embryos. With him, we could track talents and powers through the genetic line. After his newborn period, we recruited him. And in return for his services, he demanded that we let him run this facility as he saw fit, with minimal oversight.

"Aro and Caius agreed, and a few senior members of the guard were assigned to help. Heidi and Alec, to lure or trap the hybrids already in existence, and to convince promising humans to go with them. My job, like I said, was to make sure everyone stayed on the same page. Also, to help form couples."

"Couples?" I asked. I thought I knew where this was going, and it wasn't pretty.

"The purpose here was two-fold. First was to transform humans into vampires. Nothing different from what we were doing in Volterra, except that Saul could analyze their DNA first and find the markers of talent in descendants or relatives of known talented vampires. Like Nicole, the niece of your Alice."

We glowered at her.

"Anyway. The second purpose was to breed vampires and humans together, especially talented ones."

"What?" Rosalie exploded. "You just went out and found willing women to do this?"

"I don't know the details," Chelsea sniffed. "You should have asked Saul. He was in charge of arranging such things."

"But you arranged couples, didn't you," Rosalie accused.

"For our permanent residents, yes," Chelsea said, glancing at the group of hybrids. "It was necessary to induce them to form relationships and conceive children."

"Ugh!" I interjected. "That's so wrong!"

"I was just following orders," Chelsea leveled her gaze on me, but there was a pleading in her eyes.

"That's what you were trying to do with me and Nahuel, wasn't it?"

Nahuel's eyes snapped to me.

"I was just enhancing what was already there," said Chelsea.

Jacob growled.

_Oh, someone change the subject, _I thought, sorry I'd brought myself into this.

"So whose child is she carrying?" Emmett asked, pointing at the pregnant half-vampire woman.

"Saul's," said Chelsea.

_Whoa. Quarter-humans?_

Jaws were dropping all over the place.

"What? The hybrids are much better equipped to carry the children of male vampires. They're fine."

I met Aylen's eyes, full of dread. Now I understood what she'd been talking about with her brother. The Volturi were going to force her to… mate with a vampire. To be the non-consenting mother of a science experiment.

Rosalie, meanwhile, was in a high fury. "And who are the two human women back there?" she said, pointing a finger at the ward. "They're not fine."

"And do they get to keep their children, should they survive and be turned?" Bella asked.

Chelsea looked uncomfortable. "Well… as far as I know, Saul hasn't turned any of the human mothers. Research suggests that the talents strengthen with each generation and so he waited for the hybrids to –" she broke off. "What! I didn't come up with this plan. Don't look at me like that, any of you."

"Saul was a contractor," said Alec's high voice, piercing the thick air. "In fact, the three elders are on their way, along with the guard, to inspect this place. They were ignorant of the details. Now you've killed the one they would surely have punished on their own." Alec nodded at the thin tendril of smoke that hovered above the funeral pyre. "Chelsea and I were indeed worried by developments here, and asked for Aro's help, for his inspection."

"Worried why?" Bella said. I got the impression that she really didn't like Alec, and I knew she despised Jane, his twin sister. "Because you felt bad for these people, or because you were worried one of them would make you obsolete?"

"It was the old woman," said Alec. "Betty. Her power was dangerous and she was impossible to train."

"Good thing I killed her, then," said Bella.

"Yes, good thing," Alec retorted with what sounded just like teenage sarcasm.

"But what about us?" said Nahuel. "We have no desire to stay here and find ourselves conscripted back into the Volturi's ranks."

"You should be free to go," said Garrett. "No one has the right to tell you what to do."

But then, Carlisle and Esme appeared from the ward. They looked traumatized and weary. Carlisle spoke in a broken voice. "The newborn is – awake. Jasper and Alice are speaking with her, talking her down. And the two women – there's nothing we can do but wait for them." He brushed his hair off his forehead. "Is there anyone here who needs medical attention?"

"Embry has a wound to the abdomen, and Seth's broken a leg," said Edward, reading the pack's thoughts.

Carlisle nodded. "Okay. They'll have to transform so I can tend to them."

I knew that Jacob was hesitating to give the order, since we still had three prisoners, and who knew what loyalties the brainwashed half-vampire, half-human group held? With a paw, Jacob nudged Edward and whined quizzically.

"I think it's fine for you to transform, too," said Edward. "None of them have any intention of fighting or running. And there are more than enough of us to take care of them." That was true; the dozen of us could subdue the three Volturi in seconds.

Jacob walked into the forest to transform. I followed, allowing Jacob a few seconds to pull on his denim cut-offs, then he stepped out from behind a tree, all six-foot-five human glory.

My breath caught. Under the dim light of a half-moon that glowed beyond the cleared skies, he was spectacular: all muscle, strong hands, tapered waist, and then a brilliant flash of white that lit up the gloom. His smile. I flung myself into his arms, pressing myself as close as I could, and his lips were on my neck, kissing me.

"Jake. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm glad I didn't transform until now," he said. "Because there were no words for how worried I was about you."

Electricity skittered down my spine as his hands grabbed my hips and pulled me even closer. I tipped my face up and kept my eyes open as he kissed me hard for a few seconds. I clung to Jacob, the only steady thing in a world that was spinning. There was ferocity in his kiss, and ownership – a claim of life over the possibility of death we'd both faced today.

We broke off reluctantly, and my hands ran up his chest and fastened around his neck. His hand brushed against my hair, an impossibly gentle movement after that kiss.

The other Quileutes were transformed, too, and we found Embry and Seth waiting in the circle of destroyed vegetation where the fight had been. Seth's leg was at an awkward angle and he winced as he leaned himself up against a tree trunk; Embry had three gashes across his stomach that oozed blood. It looked like a claw.

"It's too bad this won't scar," said Embry, poking at his wounds. "It would look awesome. Chicks would love it. I could say I was in a fight with a lion."

"All right, let's see what we have here," said Carlisle, appearing with a first-aid box and a splint. "Seth, you first." He felt along Seth's leg with his fingers. "It's a clean break, you're lucky."

"Lucky's my middle name!" said Seth, grinning happily up at us.

Carlisle's steady hands straightened Seth's leg. "Good timing. It was just about ready to grow back together, the break feels resistant to motion. But I won't have to re-break. Here," he said, lifting the injured leg and sliding the plastic splint underneath it. It was a little small for Seth's long limbs, but it would do. With a quick rolling motion, Carlisle secured the splint with tape and patted Seth's knee.

"Ow!" said Seth.

"Sorry!" said Carlisle. "Now you, Embry."

"It's already healing," Embry protested, but Carlisle shook his head.

"I need to make sure there isn't internal damage that will heal badly." With careful hands he probed the wound. Embry took a quick breath through his teeth.

"Does the doctor need any help?" said a shy, accented voice. "Are they badly hurt?"

"Aylen!" I saw that she carried a couple liters of bottled water in her hands. "Hey, good idea."

"I'm pretty thirsty," said Seth.

She picked across the leaves on graceful toes and knelt down beside Seth, holding out the bottle. "Here, I –" she went quiet.

Seth stared at her, his mouth falling open in a comical look of complete wonder.

I heard Edward's sudden laugh through the trees.

"Oh, jeez," said Jacob, rubbing his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "Seth!"

It was as though Seth was deaf and blind to anyone but Aylen. Their eyes were locked and their faces frozen in identical astonishment. Seth reached out a hand to Aylen; she collapsed onto the soft ground, her fingers clutching at the dirt. As we watched, bemused, Seth cleared his throat several times before he spoke. "You're gorgeous." Then his hand, suspended mid-air between them, reached out to tuck her silky black hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed along her jawline.

"Wh-What is your name, please?" she whispered.

"Uh… um… Seth! Seth Clearwater!" Now he sounded like an eager boy.

Leah, who'd joined us from her run around the perimeter, backed away from Seth, shaking her head. "You've got to be _kidding _me."

"It makes sense, Leah," said Jacob. "Like me and Ness. Why not?"

"No," said Leah, her mouth screwing up. I had a feeling it would turn to tears soon. "Not my brother. He's all I –" It was as though she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, seeing the pure joy on Seth's face, and the enchantment on Aylen's.

Carlisle stood up from Embry and brushed his hands off. He turned and saw Aylen and Seth, still staring into each others' eyes. "Did I miss something?" he asked.

I laughed and skipped over to Carlisle, touching his arm. _Imprinting._

Carlisle looked fondly at Seth for minute, like a relative watching a wedding, and then he shook his head. "This day just grows more interesting." He walked off through the ring of trees.

Leah stormed off into the jungle. I heard a crash and realized she'd transformed back into her wolf self. "Keep running a perimeter," Jacob called after her, I supposed to keep her from running away altogether.

"Let's leave them to it," I said, nodding at Seth and Aylen. Seth was already pestering her with questions about herself.

"My brother is half-vampire, like me…" Aylen was saying.

"Heck, no problem!" said Seth. "One of my best friends is a vampire. Edward Cullen. He's Nessie's dad."

Jacob took my hand and led me out of the forest and back into the clearing. For the first time since we arrived here, I looked at my GPS. The time was drawing toward midnight. I couldn't believe how much had happened in twenty-four hours… that just this morning, I'd been battling "Mendel" online, crashing his system… and then the fighting, the revelations, the newborns and pregnant humans and half-breeds and Mendel's identity as Saul Ferreira, the late great geneticist.

I'd also thought-projected in the heat of battle to save Esme, lost and regained my memory, and been bitten by a now-deceased vampire and saved from transformation.

_Sheesh._

Jacob and I walked into the clearing to find a calm scene. Edward and Bella, Emmett and Rosalie, and the Denalis stood in a half-circle around the three prisoners, who sat still on the ground. The hybrids were grouped together several yards away; the young boy slept with his head in the lap of one of the women. Nahuel, on the other hand, flicked his gaze down to where my hand was joined with Jacob's.

The disappointment in his face was quickly masked by a wry smile. "Hello," he said.

"Hi," I said, and Jacob nodded at him.

To Jacob I thought, _There's nothing to be jealous of – remember, he's going to be a pack brother-in-law, now that Seth imprinted on his half-sister._

Jacob looked down at me. "That's _really_ complicated."

I sighed. _Tell me about it._ To Nahuel I said, "Are you doing all right? What do you remember?"

He frowned. "Not a lot. After you managed to escape the hovercraft, I assured Heidi and Chelsea that I had no intention of doing the same. We docked up a tributary and ran from there. When I got here I was introduced to Saul, like I was some kind of honored guest, and he took a sample of my blood, to run it through his machine. I found Aylen and managed to get her story; her analysis was completed and she was terrified about being paired up." A shudder ran through his tall, lanky frame. "I told her a little bit about you, how you were bringing help, but not about the internet stuff. I didn't want them to force the information out of Aylen, in case of giving them advance warning. She was fading fast, her spirit gone; she needed a bit of hope."

Jacob and I glanced at each other.

"Saul was coming up with a cloning system, too. He hoped that the hybrids might be able to be grown in vats of blood, like clones, and bypass the need for human women altogether."

"What?" Jacob said. "What is that, some kind of science fiction idea? Saul's been watching too many movies."

"That is seriously sick," I added.

Nahuel agreed. "Anyway, it wasn't a few days after I got here that my memory blacks out. I met that old lady on the first day – Betty. But I only knew her as the memory-snatcher."

"Sci-fi," Jacob nodded.

"Seriously," I said again.

"Yes," said Nahuel, "then Betty the memory-snatcher was gone and I could think again and your coven was here and… where's Aylen, anyway?"

"Yeah, about that…" Jacob began.

He was interrupted by Alice, zipping out of the ward. "Right, people, I need some backup here! Nicole is awake and she's kind of thirsty. Who wants to take her out with Jasper and me to hunt some jaguar?"

Emmett raised his hand so fast it was a blur.

Govinda giggled and Emmett glared at him; that was all it took to make him choke on his mockery.

"Super!" said Alice.

"Are you teaching her to hunt animals, dear?" asked Esme.

"Oh, she already knows all about us, and how we've lived," said Alice. There was a mysterious quality to her voice; I could tell when Alice was keeping a secret.

I looked at Edward, hoping for enlightenment, but Alice must have been guarding her thoughts. She winked and skipped off.

"She's been way too cheerful," said Jacob. "She's up to something."

_I think she's more manic,_ I said. _It really bothers her with all these blank spots in her vision. I bet having a straight-up vampire to focus on is a relief._ I looked over at the ward, where I saw Alice and Jasper flanking newborn Nicole, whose short blond hair was a helmet of gold in the moonlight. Jasper's posture was wary and defensive, but Alice seemed at ease. Emmett joined them and they vanished into the forest.

"So," Jacob said to Nahuel, "Is there anything to eat around this joint?"


	22. Ancients

**Author's Notes: **Yay another chapter! Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day / bank holiday weekend.

Huge thanks to everyone who left me reviews: _hotmessz, midtwilight, KMT06055, sammieleelee, MrsTaylorLautner.X, x-rayLady, Tashibi, mysteryfan09, o0dancer4ever0o, Miamore, sarlovesoccer, Lus-In _(very good guessing skills there!)_, luv2beloved, a, ConradKCat, _and_ R. C. Cullen 888/Nessie_!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

_Ancients_

On a blanket beneath the stars, I lay in Jacob's arms. He was snoring softly. I'd had a good nap – three hours – but I wasn't tired anymore. I was jittery, wondering what the morning would bring, knowing that we were waiting for the three elders of the Volturi to arrive.

The grass beneath us was soft and the air balmy. The rainforest cloaked us in the multilayered, foreign scent of a million creatures, living and dying. The quiet murmurs of vampires and the soft breathing of sleeping half-vampires substituted for what should have been the nightly chorus of insects and animals.

Trying to relax, I snuggled deeper into Jacob's embrace. I wondered how the newborn Nicole was doing. Would she join our family? She was related to Alice, after all… but even if she was learning to hunt animals, it would be years before she could be around people. She'd entered the vampire life totally unprepared.

As I stared up into the blackness, with the moon a descending half-circle almost grazing the trees, my sharp eyes traced a shooting star that flared and vanished.

Jacob's hands tightened around me, in his sleep.

I sighed.

There hadn't been any normal food on the compound, and so before resting, Jacob and the wolves had done a bit of hunting on their own and sampled the capybara, some kind of giant rat. Leah had refused, saying she would rather go hungry than eat what looked like a radioactive rodent.

I made a note that the next time we went on an expedition like this, we bring picnic lunches for the voracious wolves.

Listening to Jacob's breathing, I was finally able to calm down again, and I drifted back into a light sleep. My dreams were unsettled and anxious, and filled with the faces of the dead: the cold maroon eyes of Saul, the screaming pain of Heidi, the bright red orbs and yellowish teeth and paper skin of Betty the savage memory-stealer. I tossed and turned and finally awoke to Edward, patting my head.

"Dad?" I mumbled.

"The sun's rising," he said. "You were having bad dreams."

I blinked my bleary eyes and yawned. The space next to me was empty. _Where's Jake?_

"He had to transform and didn't want to wake you. The pack – and Aylen, who's now glued at the hip to Seth and won't leave his side – are running the perimeter. Alice and the others are back from hunting; she says the rest of the Volturi are arriving in a couple of hours."

_Ugh. Great._

"She says it's going to be okay. She doesn't foresee them fighting us. They were coming only for a routine inspection. They have no idea what's happened in the meantime."

I stood up and folded the blanket. I found the rest of my family at the front of the compound, still standing around the prisoners, minus Carlisle. I could hear his footsteps in the ward, and I assumed he was checking on the humans.

I got my first good look at the newborn Nicole Goodwin, formerly a high school history teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Her blond hair was in a fashionable layered style, cut short so that it fell around her face. Her face resembled Alice's, elfin and heart-shaped. Her lips were a bow and her eyes the color of maraschino cherries. She looked overwhelmed.

"Nicole, this is Nessie," said Alice, gesturing at me. "She's my niece, too. I guess that makes you sort of cousins."

"Hi, Nicole," I said.

Nicole swallowed as if she had a sore throat.

"Yeah, Nessie isn't food," said Alice to Nicole. "Don't worry, Ness, she can tell the difference. And she did really well with the jaguar."

I felt sorry for Nicole. How bewildering it must be to be snatched out of your life and wake up as a vampire.

Edward's lips pressed together in agreement.

"A fascinating talent," Govinda interjected from the ground. "Fascinating."

Alice raised an eyebrow at him. "I knew what Nicole's talent would be, even _before_ she woke up. So there."

Govinda got a sour look and crossed his arms, looking away.

"What is her talent?" I asked.

"The opposite of mine!" Alice said, jubilant. "She has visions, not of the future, but of the past!"

_Wow._ I looked at Nicole again, whose posture was tense, and her bright eyes jerked from one person to the next. "Nicole, that's so cool!" I complimented her. "So…" the possibilities began to occur to me. Nicole would be able to fill in the entire history of our lives, our world, through vision. She would know about the Cullens and our lifestyle, our struggle with the Volturi, and everything before I was born, even… _Wow,_ I thought again.

The others were equally impressed. "How much have you seen so far?" asked Rosalie. She was a little sensitive about the past.

Nicole spoke up for the first time, hesitantly, like she didn't know or trust her own voice. I was surprised: it was a great contrast both to her ethereal appearance and her aunt Alice's voice… throaty, rich, with an undertone of authority. "I – I first saw her," Nicole said, nodding at Alice. "Her human life in the institution, and how she was turned, bitten by the old one. I've been seeing other things and people, too, but I don't know who they are." I think if she would have started crying, if she could have.

"It's all right, dear, I know how much it is to take all at once," said Esme, stepping forward. "Do you mind if I give you a hug?"

Nicole paused, then nodded once. Esme embraced her and patted her on the back. "Welcome to your new life. Everything will be all right." Esme pulled away and looked Nicole in the eyes. "I'm Alice's mother – I mean, in this life. You're always welcome with us."

Nicole couldn't bear being held for too long; she jumped away, skittish. Jasper tensed and then I felt the waves of calm as he worked on Nicole's wildly fluctuating emotions.

"I—I'm so thirsty," said Nicole, looking around, pausing on the half-humans, and then staring with longing toward the hospital ward, where the human mothers were under sedation. "I don't want to hurt anyone." She gulped again. "I saw how you people live, resisting the thirst."

I remembered Edward telling me about the day, last century, when Alice had shown up at the Cullens' home with Jasper in tow… and how one of her first visions (after seeing Jasper's face) had been of the "vegetarian" lifestyle… how without those visions to guide her, untrained as she was, she might have gone wild.

I hoped Nicole would be guided in the same way. Our lives were too complicated to be taking care of some newborn and training her to be a vegetarian. Maybe the Denalis could take her on.

"Ness, come here," said Alice, beckoning me. "Show Nicole how nice our lives are. The house and everything." She turned to Nicole. "Nessie can show you her thoughts with touch."

I approached the newborn. Edward and Bella hovered at my shoulders, ready to intervene. With a slow hand I reached out and took hers, closed my eyes, and imagined our house in Rochester, the front porch, the autumn leaves, the lovely pale antique furniture and our garage full of cars. _Fast cars, _I thought, _fun cars! And we all go to high school! You could teach again someday, once you're able to be around humans!_

"Don't get carried away," said Edward, "you're overwhelming her."

"No, no, it's all right," said Nicole shakily. "I just – everything's changed so fast."

We retreated to leave Nicole with Alice. I stood with my parents off near the forest; I wished Jacob would be done with his paranoia patrol and come back to me.

"She's doing all right," said Edward, his eyes on Nicole. "She just wishes for someone very experienced to guide her. She has a mind centered around authority, a respect for it. It's good we got here when we did; otherwise, she would have been unquestionably loyal to the Volturi."

"Maybe Tanya can teach her?" said Bella.

"Maybe," said Edward.

"How are the Volturi getting here?" I asked.

"Helicopter, according to Alice," Edward said.

I reflexively turned my attention to the sky, half-expecting to hear the '_soi soi soi_' of rotor blades.

"Ten-thirty, give or take a few minutes," said Edward. "According to Alice."

"I'm gonna go run with Jake," I said, hearing his unique pace through the woods beyond us.

"Have fun!" said Bella.

I dashed through the forest, using limbs of trees to propel myself like a monkey, and a few seconds later I was running alongside Jacob's russet wolf self. "Hey," I said, falling into his pace.

His eye rolled up to look at me, a greeting.

We ran a few wide circles around the compound. Jacob stopped when we were satisfied there were no vampires on the ground running our way. I could not imagine Aro, Caius, and Marcus running pell-mell through the rainforest, muddying their black robes. I giggled at the picture and passed it to Jacob; he huffed a laugh. Then he whined at me and looked pointedly at a tree; that meant he wanted to transform. I turned my back.

"Hey," he breathed in my ear, placing his bare hands on my shoulders. I leaned into him and his arms moved down and circled my stomach, pulling me back. I tilted my head and he placed a single kiss where my neck met my shoulder. "Alice must be proud of you. Your clothes are intact."

I looked down at myself for the first time; he was right. Aside from a few spots of reddish mud on the wide brown skirt, my outfit was in fine shape. My ankle boots were coated with dirt, however. _Not the shoes so much._

"One more excuse for her to buy you new ones," said Jacob.

I remembered the times when I was a little kid and Jacob would go with us on our shopping adventures, usually at the department stores in Portland or Seattle. I would change into some adorable dress or another, and twirl around to Alice's approval and Jacob's applause.

Jacob chuckled, remembering with me.

Then I imagined something different: me modeling lingerie for him.

"Things sure change, don't they?" he said, his voice suddenly husky. "You shouldn't tempt me like that, Ness."

_And why not?_

"I might not be able to resist you before we get married. And then Edward will kill me."

I rolled my eyes. _Oh, yeah. That's right. Marriage._

Jacob twirled me to face him. "You're okay with that, right?"

I avoided his eyes. _I guess I'll have to be._

"No," said Jacob, knowing me better than I knew myself. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We can be like this for as long as we want. There's no rush."

My body thought differently; in fact, the wanting of Jacob was a slow burn inside of me. I let him know with the brush of my fingers across his cheek.

"So there _is_ a rush," he said, leaning his face closer.

_Do we have to get married? That's so old-fashioned._

"I think we do," said Jacob.

_Will it mean I don't have to do high school ever again?_

"I bet we can work out something like that. Sounds like a good enough reason to get married to me."

I pictured Jacob and me keeping our own house, all alone to do whatever we wanted. I could have a huge office with my computer, and there would be a barn where he could run his vintage car restoration business. There would be a shining kitchen, a living room with a stone fireplace and leather sofa, a bedroom with the biggest bed anyone had ever seen.

Jacob closed his eyes and sighed, picturing it with me. "Best of all, your dad wouldn't be there to read our thoughts."

_Yeah, they'd have to be a couple miles away, at least._ I wrinkled my nose. _And I could think all _kinds_ of things about you!_

"Little minx," said Jacob, nuzzling my neck. It sent shivers down my spine and made my stomach flip. "I think your parents want you to go to college first, though."

_Ugh, college._ _How boring._

"Maybe we can put that off, too. After all, Bells still hasn't managed to get to Dartmouth. I wonder if their offer is still open."

I laughed. It was true; my mother had opted out of anything but family life for the last sixteen years. At first it was to raise me, and then I guessed it was to spend as much time with Edward as possible. She couldn't put it off forever, though; Edward was convinced she would enjoy a degree in English literature.

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around Jacob's neck and our lips met. The world around me disappeared and there was nothing but him, nothing but us… I never wanted to leave his arms, not for anything… and then the moment was interrupted by the faint, rhythmic whine of a helicopter.

Through my love-fogged mind, I realized the Volturi were a matter of minutes away, and I protested against it, kissing Jacob even harder.

He pulled away first. "I have to transform," he said. "Unless you want to continue this, with me as a wolf? Might get too slobbery."

"Ew!" I laughed. "You're too much, Jake." I turned around and he was a wolf again. I climbed on his back and we ran into the clearing just in time to see the sleek lines of a black helicopter whirling against the sky above us. My stomach dropped. This was it.

I didn't remember anything about Marcus, and very little about Aro, and about Caius only that he was white-haired and frightening.

I slipped off Jacob's back to stand next to my parents. "Where are Nahuel and the others?" I asked.

"The hybrids are back in their common building," said Edward. "Except Aylen, of course."

Aylen stood at Seth's side, like I did with Jacob.

We watched as the black helicopter made a gentle landing in the center of the circle of white buildings. The patchy sunshine gleamed off its sides. The vampires around me sparkled, their faceted skin shattering the restless light.

I caught my breath as the helicopter door opened and a figure in a dark gray cloak floated out, feet touching the ground without a whisper of a sound.

It was Jane. I felt Bella tense, and I knew her shield was up, protecting us.

"Easy, love," Edward said, his hand on Bella's arm.

Next came a huge figure, bulky and tall, with a grayish-olive complexion. He stood to one side; he appeared ludicrous next to tiny Jane.

Then another man stepped out; he was thin and had medium-brown hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Chelsea straighten her posture.

The three guards stood at attention in a descending line as the next figure stepped out of the helicopter onto the grass. His white hair I recognized instantly: Caius. A low, pained growl came from Tanya's direction. The grudge she held over her dead sister Irina must be burning at the sight of Caius, who'd killed her.

After Caius came Aro, his face placid, his sharp eyes taking in everything around him. I heard his quick intake of breath at the sight of us, but he recovered and smiled as though all this was completely expected.

Aro's bodyguard, a suspicious-looking woman, clung to his robe like a shadow.

Finally, Marcus stepped out, a look of supreme indifference on his face. It was as though we weren't even there.

"Here we go again," Bella whispered.

Aro glided forward, black robe floating on the air behind him like a cloud. He looked out of place amidst the clean scientific buildings and the wild, tangled vines and trees of the rainforest. His eyes were luminous, liquid, as though someone had poured blood into milk.

Caius walked to Aro's right, wearing an ugly expression that darkened further when he saw the wolves. I could almost smell his fear of them.

Marcus followed.

"Greetings!" Aro said. "Carlisle, we meet again."

Carlisle took half a step forward and nodded curtly.

"And the rest of your family. Marvelous to see all of you so well." His pinkish eyes paused on me. "Young Renesmee. I last saw you as a toddler and here you've grown into a beauty."

I didn't quite know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything.

"Where is Saul?" Caius hissed, getting to the point.

"Now, now," said Aro, patting Caius's arm. "I'm sure there's an explanation. Is there not, Chelsea, Alec?"

Our prisoners were at attention. "There is," said Chelsea. She looked troubled, conflicted.

"Good, good," said Aro, without bothering to ask her. I supposed he would just touch her to get the full story.

"Let us not avoid the questions raised here," said Carlisle. He took another step forward. I glanced at his face and was shocked: I had never, ever seen Carlisle look so angry. His features were clouded with thunder, his eyes intent, glancing between Caius and Aro as though deciding whose fault this was. "This place you've built is a monstrosity. A breach of every form of decency. You've gone too far in your quest for power and talent, and this will not stand."

Aro blinked and Caius licked his lips. "Carlisle, my friend –" Aro began.

"We are not friends," said Carlisle. "And we have not been since you set out to destroy my family sixteen years ago."

"I never!" said Aro. "We were merely doing our jobs, enforcing the law."

"You're lying, Aro," Edward called.

"And you're outnumbered," added Emmett.

Aro did not address any of these points. Instead he fastened on Alice and said, "Alice Cullen. How are you, my dear?"

"Never better." She gave him a perky smile that said she _knew_ who would come out on top. I wasn't sure if she was positive, or just acting like she was to unsettle Aro, but it worked.

Aro looked away. "And some new faces, as well. A newborn and a lovely half-vampire. We've not been introduced."

"Nor will you be," said Carlisle. "You've done quite enough damage."

A line of frustration appeared in the thin skin between Aro's eyes. "Carlisle, please. I am truly confused. Surely as a man of science, you understand –"

"Science? You call it science, this… this breeding program? This violation of the sanctity of human life and culture?"

"We've done nothing we haven't done for centuries," Caius interrupted. "Cultivated talent. You saw nothing wrong with that before."

"I was mistaken to ever trust you," said Carlisle. "Clearly, you will go to any lengths to keep your power. Despite your pretense at civilization, you are no different from the Romanians you deposed."

Aro rolled his eyes; Caius hissed; Marcus stared blankly off into the jungle.

"They haven't seen the women," said Edward in an undertone to Carlisle. "I think its best if we show them everything."

"Yes, thank you!" said Aro, overhearing. "Show us. We are here for an inspection and I see no reason to delay it. But before I go with you, please tell me, where is my director? Saul? And _where_ are the guards?"

Edward glanced over at Jasper and nodded, agreeing with whatever thought he had. "Chelsea, go, show him."

Looking frightened – possibly of her boss's reaction – Chelsea darted across the field and bowed her head to the elders, holding out a hand for Aro to touch.

It took several minutes. Aro's face showed a progression of anger, shock, intrigue, and fear. Chelsea quivered in front of him as he took in the entire story. He released her arm and she backed off; I noticed how the thin, brown-haired vampire (Chelsea's mate?) tucked her in line beside him.

"I see," said Aro. "Caius, my friend, it seems there was a battle. The Cullens attacked our facility. Saul has been killed. And so has Heidi, driven to vengeance by his death."

Caius said in a low, angry voice, "And they did it? Have they killed him?"

"It would seem the shapeshifter wolves did the job."

Now Caius was afraid. His eyes darted to the wolves, and he turned his face away as though not seeing them would make them go away.

I was sure that he and Aro realized they were outnumbered. They would not attack us. No wonder Alice was in such a good mood.

"Come then," said Aro, raising a hand. "We should see what all the fuss is about. Carlisle, if you don't mind showing us what has upset you so?"

"Not at all," said Carlisle in a clipped tone.

We fell into a loose group around Carlisle, Bella at the center. Govinda and Alec, seeing their chance, moved off to the side and Alec took Jane's hand in his own. They looked almost identical, twins in life, complements in eternity.

"You two behave," Bella shot at them.

Alec gave her a sweet smile, while Jane glared.

The crowd of us walked to the hospital ward. "Is anyone thirsty?" asked Carlisle.

"Are you offering us refreshment?" said Caius.

"No. There are humans in here."

Aro sniffed. "Barely alive, I would say."

Carlisle opened the door and stepped aside for the Volturi to enter first. Aro's bodyguard scurried along in his wake, and the huge tall vampire escorted Caius. Chelsea and the brown-haired vampire followed with Marcus.

The women's breathing was shallow and pained, echoing through the long sterile ward. Their chests rose and fell; their hollow cheeks fluttered. Their brown skin looked gray under the bright lights. The contusions that covered their abdomens were a sickly rainbow of color: purple and black, yellow and blue.

The Volturi went still. Disapproval was written on Aro's face. Caius looked irritated. Marcus had no expression, as always. The others, I supposed, were not paid to have an opinion. They all looked foreign, anachronistic amidst the medical equipment, belonging to the power of another age.

"Oh, dear," said Aro.

"I've done everything I could for them," said Carlisle. "Once the children are born, I will give the mothers a choice to die or be changed. More of a choice, I suspect, than they had getting into this situation."

"Carlisle," said Aro, spreading his arms. His cloak clung to his shoulders. "I apologize that you had to see this. I truly had no idea Saul had taken it so far. I would not have allowed this to continue."

"How else did you think hybrids were born? You know the history of what happened with my own family."

"Saul assured us there was no lack of choice. These women knew what they were getting involved with. They came willingly."

"Oh?" asked Edward. "Then why is there a grave out in the forest, with the drained and buried bodies of the other human mothers?"

"Is there?" Aro was the picture of innocence.

Caius put his hand over Aro's.

"Yes, I agree," said Aro. "We have seen enough here. The perpetrator of these crimes is dead. Saul was a mistake. You cannot expect us to go so many thousands of years without a single mistake! Carlisle, don't look at me that way. Remember that we are the civilized ones."

"Many human dictatorships have said the same thing," said Carlisle. "And many have turned to similar crimes to increase their power."

"Come," said Aro, placing his hands over those of Marcus and Caius, "let us speak of this out of doors. The smell in here…"

I wasn't sure if he meant the smell of sickness, death, or the ever-delicious human blood. When the Volturi glided past me, I got a close-up look at their faces, and I shuddered, remembering the same paper-like skin on geriatric Betty, who'd stolen my memories. The profiles of the Volturi were noble, proud, royal, and utterly compassionless. The black of their cloaks blended together so they resembled a floating three-headed monster.

Back outside, one of the wolves – probably Leah – growled at Caius and he jerked, startled.

"Come along, then, friends," said Aro. There was a note of panic in his voice now. This must have been the first time in centuries that he'd been truly outdone.

Against the backdrop of their helicopter, the Volturi looked both absurd and formidable. Everything about them said wealth and power, yet there were cracks in the façade. Caius could not stop glancing at the wolves and Aro forced a smile. Aro brushed his fingers into a signal and the guard formed around him.

We stood facing them, my family and I. Alice's face was calm and pert, so the tension in the air between our groups must not come to violence.

"So, Aro?" said Carlisle. "We're at an impasse."

"Give me a moment, please," said Aro, and he turned, dipped his head down, and spoke to the other two.

I glanced at Edward. "They're thinking of destroying the facility altogether," he whispered to us. "Taking the hit and retreating. Starting over with someone else, somewhere else. They have Govinda now. He can find them talent. Abandoning the hybrid projects."

"A weakened tyrant is the most dangerous kind," whispered Garrett.

"Chelsea is hesitant," added Edward. "She's disturbed by what she's seen here, by Saul especially. She's been one of them for so long, but she's only just now wondering who she's working for. Aro sees it in her mind and is wary of rebellion in his ranks. Without Chelsea, the coven would fall apart."

I thought to Edward, _How long has she been with them? Chelsea?_

"Fifteen hundred years," he whispered back. "Right now, she's remembering those years. She was from England, but her medieval name was unpronounceable, so they just called her Chelsea, after the area near London where she was born."

Aro, Caius, and Marcus were done conversing. Aro turned back to us and said quickly, "We quite agree that this project has gone too far. We humbly beg pardon and will be going now."

The huge vampire and Govinda were already on the helicopter when three things happened at the same time.

Alice gasped.

Nicole, who'd been holding arms between Alice and Jasper, fell to her knees, clutching her head.

Edward, reading both past and future unraveling in their minds, swore softly.

_Uh oh. Something's about to go down._ I inched backward until I felt Jacob's hot breath on my hair.

The Volturi, meanwhile, were astonished by newborn Nicole. "What's the matter with her?" Caius sneered.

"She sees the past," said Govinda, peeking his cowardly head out from the door of the helicopter. "She's the fortune-teller's descendant niece."

"Your blood relation!" said Aro to Alice, joy lighting his face. "And rather than seeing the future, she sees the past! How perfectly…" his voice lowered as if in remembrance, "…interesting."

"Aro," Edward breathed. "How could you?"

"What!" Aro glanced at Edward, then at Alice, then at Nicole. He looked as if he both yearned to know what had been seen, and dreaded to know.

"Someone better tell us what's going on," said Emmett.

"I think Nicole should tell it," said Edward.

"I think Nicole is going to," said Alice.


	23. Mutiny

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the delay in updating! I'm taking summer classes and soooo swamped. But this story is not forgotten… we are getting close to the end…! Many thanks to reviewers: _seventeen4ever, Aiyami Sakura, EmilyMR, ConradKCat, NateNotorious, nessie125, midtwilight, hotmessz, luv2beloved, x-rayLady, fanged archangel, LehcarMarie, sonia48, Ariana Jade, R.C. Cullen 888, .jam, WannaBeStephenieM, Renesmee is Awesome, girlover84, emma, Tashibi, MrsTaylorLautner.X, mysteryfan09, Lus-In, _and _Miamore_! Several of you are pretty good at sussing out the next moves of our fav vampire family. And apologies if I butchered the Latin in this chapter.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

_Mutiny_

The sun emerged from behind a stray cloud and bathed the clearing in light. The jungle was a vivid green and purple and brown circle around us; the buildings were stark and white and ordered, contrasting against the carpet of emerald grass beneath our feet. The sun made the wolves' fur shine, made my skin glow, made the vampires' skin dazzle. Even the skin of the three Volturi elders looked like diamonds folded in tissue paper, the way an antique piece of jewelry might be wrapped.

The faces of the other half-vampires could be seen at the window of the building behind the helicopter, listening.

All eyes were on Nicole the newborn as she spoke haltingly.

"I saw a city, a long time ago. It looked like Italy. They were there." She pointed at the Volturi. "It was… after the Roman Empire, based on the clothing and the market."

I remembered that Nicole had been a high school history teacher as a human.

Nicole staggered forward, awkwardly, like a person walking on the moon, unused to her own strength. "Marcus," she said.

"What?" Aro answered for Marcus. Now I could smell the fear on Aro. So could the rest of us.

"Marcus. He was younger, stronger. I saw his mate. Her name was Didyme."

I couldn't imagine Marcus moving so fast, but he was there, gripping Nicole's shoulders with talon-like hands. His inky black hair cascaded around his face. "How dare you speak her name, child." His voice was dead.

"D-Don't you want to know how she d-died?" Nicole stammered.

"All right!" Aro almost screamed. "That's quite enough of the history lesson! Marcus, let us depart. Our job here is done."

Now even the Volturi guard were staring, astonished, at their leaders. Alec's and Jane's eyes were wide as saucers in their childish faces. Chelsea looked wary.

"Chelsea," Aro hissed. "Make him come."

"I cannot," she replied.

A ripple went through the group of gray cloaks. Although the three Volturi were, theoretically, equal in power, it was Aro who really ran the show. And Chelsea had just defied an order.

_This is getting good,_ I thought, touching Jacob's snout.

The waves of "everybody, just be calm" came like a tsunami from poor Jasper.

"Tell me," said Marcus in a whisper.

"Didyme, she was very beautiful, a kind and happy person," said Nicole. "I saw the two of you discussing your future. You were on a hilltop overlooking this small city. You stood beneath an olive tree. You both wanted to go away, to live together away from that one." She pointed at Aro. "Didyme was his sister in life. But even she had grown tired of her brother's quest for power; she said, '_Nos servamus nostrum infinitio._'"

Marcus gasped.

"And then you were in a round room, surrounded by thrones, with a drain in the middle and tapestries on the walls. And your wife's brother gave his blessing, and he touched you both, your joined hands. He saw your thoughts and intentions. But you could not see his.

"Then, it was dark, and he," she pointed at Aro, whose tendons stood out on his frail neck, "took Didyme for a walk. They were walking in an orchard. And then he killed her."

Okay, I was not expecting _that._

Marcus's hands dropped from Nicole's shoulders.

Gasps blossomed around me.

The Volturi guard were stock-still, only their eyes in motion, looking from Marcus to Aro and back again, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Aro… killed… her…" Marcus's voice was a pale thread, too fragile for the tropical air.

"He took her apart and burned her body right there in the orchard. Then he set the orchard on fire to disguise his scent. I saw him racing back. His hair was fixed in a long braid."

"…killed…her…" Slowly, with utmost care, Marcus turned to Aro. "Did you?"

His last two words hung for too long. The answer was on Aro's stricken face.

Marcus's shriek of grief seemed built up over the centuries. His face had come alive, blazing hatred and betrayal, and his liquid reddish eyes focused into hard points. With an incredible energy he sprang for Aro's throat, hands outstretched. The two ancients battled, a tableau of pure vengeance. Under the harsh sun they looked like cracked oil paintings come to life, turning on each other after hanging in the same room for millennia.

We could only watch, fascinated. The Volturi guard moved backward as one, glancing at each other in utter bewilderment, unsure of who to support.

"She's loosening the bonds," Bella whispered, nodding at Chelsea but her eyes still fixed on the flashing hands and wrenching screams as Marcus and Aro fought.

Then, out of nowhere, Caius moved into the melee, screeching and tossing himself onto Marcus, and before he could get a grasp, Embry had the oldest vampire in his jaws.

Caius panicked and flailed his arms and legs, trying to bite Embry, but then Quil was there growling in his face. Edward translated. "They say don't move, Caius, or you're dead."

It was over within seconds. It was never a fair fight. Against the unleashed rage of Marcus, Aro didn't stand a chance. He was a pile of dusty limbs on the ground, twitching and quivering, and Marcus stood above him, panting.

From one of his pockets Marcus pulled a lighter and then Aro was burning.

My knees weakened. There, ignominious in the middle of a rainforest, the cultured and ruthless leader of the vampires died. Aro's purple smoke billowed out in clouds the way his black robes had done.

The others were unmoving, looking down at the pyre, not in mourning but in shock. Just as when Saul had burned, I thought about the great mind that was now silenced, the vampire who'd held the history of the world in his head. I glanced at Carlisle, who'd once been Aro's friend.

Carlisle looked like someone had punched him in the gut. His mouth was parted slightly and he wasn't breathing. He clutched Esme's hand and I could see the whiteness of his knuckles.

The crumbling of power was interrupted by Caius, screaming, "Put me down! Release me!"

"He intends to kill Marcus," said Edward.

Marcus growled and turned toward Caius. "Edward Cullen," he said.

"Yes?"

"What are these wolves' intentions toward Caius?"

Edward paused as Jacob told him. "They'll kill him if you wish."

_Good. I was rooting for Marcus, too,_ I told Jacob.

Jacob's gruff bark was the command, and he sprang over me and joined his pack in dismembering the screaming, pleading, ancient Caius.

I knew Jacob had never forgiven Caius for voting to off me, sixteen years ago on that field of almost-battle.

Soon Caius's remains joined Aro's on the fire. Through the flickering orange flames, I saw the witch twins, Jane and Alec. They looked forlorn, as if they'd lost their parents, and for a brief moment I almost – not quite, but almost – felt sorry for them.

No one spoke or moved until Aro and Caius were mostly gone, leaving fluttering piles of ashes that lifted on the slight breeze.

It was Emmett, of course. "Well," he said, crossing his arms, "now what?"

* * *

I leaned back against Jacob's warm fur, listening. Chelsea and her mate – his name was Afton – were speaking with Edward, Bella, Alice, Rosalie, and the wolves about what to do next. I felt like a spectator in all this, despite that I'd got everyone into the trouble in the first place. The group had split into a series of odd couples: Jane and Alec, in some kind of daze, stood in front of the ashes of their leaders. Kate and Garrett spoke in urgent whispers about politics. Carlisle and Tanya were discussing the progress of the human mothers in the ward – "about two days," said Carlisle – and what to do about them. Seth – now in human form – and Aylen were standing in the shade of the trees, gazing into each other's eyes.

Emmett was trying to provoke the large, tall Volturi guard – Felix, I'd learned his name – into an anaconda-wrestling contest. Felix was in a bad mood due to the sudden vacuum of leadership and wasn't having any of it.

Jasper and Esme were explaining to the group of hybrids that they were free to go. Nahuel was practically jumping with the desire to leave, but with Aylen now the Almighty Imprinted One of Seth, he couldn't. His other two sisters were in a bitter state; evidently they'd fully believed and endorsed Saul's scientific mandate and wanted to produce ultra-hybrid-talent babies. Brainwashed by their late father, no doubt.

And then there was Marcus. He wouldn't leave Nicole's side. The oldest vampire and the youngest stood in the shade of the office building, talking. I hardly recognized Marcus; it was as though he'd been in suspended animation and someone had flicked on the power switch.

Chelsea saw me looking in their direction. "I was always reaffirming his bond to Aro and Caius," she explained. "He didn't want to stay. I think he wanted to be destroyed when his mate died."

"Sounds familiar," said Rosalie, arching an eyebrow at Edward.

_What!_

Jacob snorted.

_You'll have to tell me that story._

Edward shot a warning glance at Jacob, but I knew Jacob would tell me anyway. Whatever I wanted… that was the right of the imprinted upon.

"I don't know what to do," Chelsea confessed. She knew Edward was reading every thought that crossed her mind, so she might as well be honest with all of us. "There's the property in Volterra, the rest of the guard, the _wives_… Oh my God, the wives…"

"They'll be destroyed by this," said Chelsea's mate.

"Literally?" said Bella, who sounded very sorry.

"That's what happens when you marry power-hungry evil vampires," said Alice. She closed her eyes. "Yes, they'll ask to be destroyed, both of them."

"It would be the merciful thing to do," said Edward.

Chelsea sighed. "I suppose."

I found myself liking Chelsea more and more. She was the glue that held the Volturi coven together but now she was becoming unstuck. Chelsea's life as she'd known it was over. Then again, she could just be using her powers to attach herself to us, the new coven in town.

I touched Bella's neck, wondering. _Is your shield up against Chelsea?_

Bella nodded.

Oh. Then I really was starting to like her.

"I don't think now is the time or place to discuss the new order of things," said Edward. "You should go back to Volterra. Take care of the wives. And think hard about what you want to do, because I'll tell you what… you have a lot of enemies now. Especially when word gets out about what you were getting up to here in Brazil."

"I'd suggest you go home and lay low," said Alice. "Otherwise…" she closed her eyes for a moment. "Otherwise, the Romanians will make a move to depose you. And that won't do anyone any good."

I remembered the two Romanians. They were hilarious and bloodthirsty. I'd been fascinated with them as a toddler.

"So we go back, say nothing, and what? Trust you people?" said Chelsea.

"You have no choice," said Edward.

"We won't tell anyone. We'll wait for things to settle," said Bella.

"Yes…" said Alice. "I see a gathering beginning. Vampires from all over. In Volterra. In peace."

Edward smiled. "Go ahead, Jake."

I raised my eyebrows as Jacob bounded into the forest and returned in human form. It was hard concentrating on anything else when he was shirtless like that… _mmm_…

"I have a few things to say. It's so obvious," said Jacob. "You people need to have some kind of leech convention."

At the word "convention", Garrett was at Jacob's side. "A wonderful idea," he said. "With representatives from all over the world. We need to assert our rights. We can create a Constitution!"

"And send the Volturi home for now," said Jacob, pointing at the black helicopter lurking like a giant bug on the lawn. "Take photos of this place as evidence and then destroy the compound. Everyone's too wound up to make any more decisions right now."

"I foresaw that I would need this," said Alice, pulling a digital camera out of her pocket.

"That's Shortie," said Jacob, grinning. "Always prepared."

Chelsea was nodding. "Yes. There are… things to do at home." Her voice cracked a little on the word "home" and I wondered how in the world they were going to tell those left in Volterra that the rug was out from under their feet.

It also left me wishing, just a little, that none of this had happened. The Volturi were cultured. For centuries they had protected the vampire species from discovery by humanity. Had we just opened a big can of worms? Was a slightly oppressive authority better than no authority at all? Humanity had the power to destroy us, should our secret be discovered. They had the weapons, the technology, to do it. Without the Volturi… who knew. Was ruthlessness the only way to rule a ruthless species – vampires?

Edward met my eye, looking thoughtful.

I shrugged.

He shrugged back.

Whatever the answer, we were about to find out.

Chelsea and her mate gathered the rest of the Volturi guard, except for Marcus, who waved at her as though annoyed. "We'll leave this in your hands," she said, gesturing around at the defunct facility.

"Gee, thanks," said Emmett. "So who's flying this sucker?" he pointed at the helicopter.

"I am," said Felix. He narrowed his eyes at Emmett.

"Shall I get a measuring tape, you two?" said Rosalie.

Emmett grinned at her. "You know I measure up."

She giggled.

When the helicopter lifted off, carrying the Volturi away into the sky, Jacob and I walked around the compound. The other hybrids, aside from Nahuel, had taken off into the jungle. Without Chelsea to cement their relationships, they suddenly had better places to be. Before they left, Jasper swore them to secrecy and Esme asked them to try not to eat people.

As I walked around with Jacob, I discovered that I couldn't wait to leave this place. It was sticky, creepy, and smelled like vampire ashes. Jacob agreed wholeheartedly. "Only thing is the pregnant women," he said, wincing.

Kate overheard us. "We're going to stay to help Carlisle," she said. "Garrett and Tanya and I. If you guys want to go, you should."

"I'm just along for the ride," I said.

"My pack's getting a little discontented," said Jacob. "We either need to hunt or get back to the hotel for some real food."

"Let's ask my dad if we can go already," I said.

"Or I could just sweep you off your feet and carry you with me, regardless," said Jacob.

I put my hands on his cheeks. _I like the sounds of that._

"You like the idea of me dragging you off into the jungle?"

_Yep. By my hair._

Jacob laughed.

We found Tanya speaking with Edward and Bella, near the charred spot where Aro had perished. "Yes, I've asked to do the honors," she said. "I've never done it before and I need to practice."

"Practice?" I asked.

"Hi, Nessie. Yes," said Tanya, flipping her shining strawberry hair over one shoulder, "if the humans request to be saved, turned into vampires, I've asked Carlisle to let me turn them. Just in case I ever pull an Edward and fall madly in love with some mortal man."

"Edward!" said Emmett, overhearing. "You fell in love with a mortal man and didn't tell us?"

Jacob let out a long-suffering sigh. "So much for treaties," he muttered.

"The world is changing," said Tanya. "Ever since Bella's blood sang for Edward… nothing's been normal."

"Leave it to me to make everything all upside-down," said Bella.

"No, leave it to me to have made such a big deal out of everything," said Edward.

"Spare us!" said Jacob, clapping a hand to his chest. It drove him crazy when my parents went back and forth like that.

I wondered how he put up with _me_, really. I decided to have a little fun. "Actually, it's mostly my fault. Leave it to me to spark this vampire revolution."

"I'd say it's not your fault, Ness," said Jacob, "except I know that you secretly relish the thought."

I smirked.

"Jacob, if the pack needs to go, it's fine," said Edward. "Bella and I can fly you all back to Rio. Carlisle and Esme have enough help here."

"When can we leave? Now?"

Edward smiled. "Sure."

"Thank goodness," said Bella. "I don't like this place. It's creepy."

I nodded for emphasis.

"Enough has happened in the past two days to last me a long time," she said. "All this fighting and killing and stuff…"

"Hey, you got your first kill," I teased.

"And it's a good thing you did!" added Edward. "That old woman could have done some real damage."

"That's true! I did kill her, didn't I!" said Bella, brightening. "Emmett can't make fun of me anymore."

"Not about _that,_ at least," said Jacob. "I'm sure we can find something else."

"In any case," said Bella, "I hope things are done happening. I don't know if I can take any more."

Jacob called out, "Okay, turkeys! Gather up!" The pack descended on us, all in human form. Leah's arms were crossed; she'd been ready to leave ages ago. In fact, I was pretty certain she'd never wanted to come to Brazil in the first place. Seth and Aylen were holding hands, all starry-eyed.

"So, lovebirds, think you can wait until Rio to make out?" said Quil, nudging Seth. "Hey! Earth to Seth!"

"Say what? Oh! Yeah, sorry," Seth said, grinning.

"Can my brother come with us?" asked Aylen softly.

"Anything you want, babe," Seth said.

"Oh, you have a brother, do you?" said Leah scornfully to Aylen. "Jacob, for real. I'm so sick of the smell of vampire I could puke. Half-vampires are just as bad. No offense, girls, but you both smell like a cake factory mixed with a French perfume house. It hurts my nose to be around you."

"Don't worry," I said to Aylen, who looked dismayed. "Leah gets like this when she's hungry and hasn't had a shower. She's actually nice."

"Yeah, right," muttered Quil.

"Hmmph," said Leah, crossing her arms and turning her face away.

"Oh, look! Here comes another smelly half-vampire for you to meet," said Jacob with glee. "What's up, Nahuel."

"Hello," Nahuel said in his rich voice. "We are leaving?"

"Yep. Leah, I don't think you've met Aylen's brother. Nahuel, this is Leah, my second-in-command. Leah, Nahuel."

Leah uncrossed her arms and turned her reluctant, pretty pout onto Nahuel. Her breath caught in her throat and she tilted her head. Her hands quivered and she leaned forward, towards Nahuel, who was blinking hard as though staring into direct sunlight.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Embry cried.

"What? No way," I said, a laugh bubbling upward out of my chest. "Leah? _Nahuel_?"

"Bells is right. This is too much to handle," said Jacob.

Leah wasn't having any of it. Her eyes were for Nahuel only. "Oh, shut up, all of you!" She seized Nahuel by the hand and dragged him off toward the forest.

She was chased by our roaring laughter.


	24. Raw

**AN:** Sorry for the long delay everybody! I am taking upper-division summer classes, they are way hard and I had an exam today… successfully disposed of, so now back to the writing :-)

Thanks as always to my wonderful reviewers: _Aiyami Sakura, tooki13, Renesmee is Awesome, Lus-In, MrsTaylorLautner.X, Sassy1515, evelyn-shaye, luv2beloved, haleena15, mysteryfan09, WannaBeStephenieM, Athena, Miamore, MayHopeCullen, seventeen4ever, ConradKCat, Author, x-rayLady, sonia48, Sam, NateNotorious, Tashibi, hotmessz, midtwilight, FLORA - AN ANGEL, daisykisses, Ariana Jade, 2012, Molly, 2placesat1x, _and _Guiltypleasure_!

Yay Leah imprinted! For the sharp readers out there, this was the _Emma_ reference (like Steph Meyer does) in this case, where two sets of siblings match up together. A couple of you brought up that Leah would have already seen Nahuel in BD – this is true but she didn't look in his eyes and she wasn't in human form. It seems from the books that human-human eye contact needs to happen (_a la_ Jake locking eyes with Ness) in order for the imprint to take hold. So I just went with that for drama's sake, tee hee!

In this chapter, we get some Ness + Jake fluff.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_Raw_

The sun beat down on my wet skin, and a gentle breeze fluttered the gauzy scarf around my hair. I was glad Alice had insisted on buying swimsuits. My red and gold suit was adorable and fit in well on this fashionable beach.

With Leah on one side and Jacob on the other, we must have made quite a picture, even on this particular stretch of white sand, where beautiful was the norm.

Leah's black hair hung in short wet strands around her face, tilted away from me as she stared into Nahuel's eyes. Their hands were clasped together. Without either of them saying a word, they rose together and walked toward the frothy ocean waves.

After her imprinting, when she'd disappeared for several hours in the forest with Nahuel, Leah'd come back in the grouchiest mood I'd ever seen in her – and that was saying something. "Of course I would imprint on someone _venomous_," she'd said. "Of course. How perfect. How fitting."

Jacob said it was better that Nahuel, venomous though he was, was indestructible to Leah's tempers.

She appeared to have come to terms with the challenge and had been downright giddy for the past two days here in Rio.

Meanwhile, Jacob and I hung out, eating and swimming, trying to process the stress and violence of the past couple of weeks. This hotel was beginning to feel like a too-expensive waiting room. I tried not to think of what was happening back out in the jungle with the dying human mothers and my family, trying to help them. When I slept at night, I dreamt about fires and thunderstorms. During the days I was lazy, floating in the waves, pushing away the memories of swimming hard down this coastline, pursued by what I'd just done to Demetri. I ignored how I'd washed up along this pristine beach when it was packed with a million revelers and lit up by fireworks; during the day, it looked different.

I'd been slurping non-alcoholic margaritas with extra salt on the rims, brought to me by a deferential cabana boy with oiled skin. I spent a lot of time sleeping on the beach, in the sun, drinking in the heat, as though it would overheat my own blood and erase the fires that tormented my dreams.

"Don't feel guilty," Jacob said in his deep, resonant voice from beside me. He was holding my hand and read the undertones of my thoughts. "Aro brought this on himself. You realize that Nicole would have been changed, and she would have had that vision in front of the Volturi, whether we were there or not."

_You're right, I hadn't thought of that._

"And Marcus would have reacted the same way. So stop blaming yourself. As far as Aro goes, I don't care how cultured that old leech was. He was a creep and he always has been."

_But it's not just that. All of this is my fault. If I hadn't been born, the Volturi would never have tried to destroy us in the first place, and wouldn't have tried to out-talent us now. And then it was stupid me who ran down here, got myself kidnapped, and dragged you all into it again…_

"Shh," said Jacob, rolling onto his side and placing a finger over my lips. "You are ridiculous, Ness."

_But if I hadn't been born…_

"You are acting like a sixteen-year-old," said Jacob, a repressed laugh shaking through his body. "What next? 'I didn't ask to be born?'"

A smile tugged at my lips. _Fine. You're right._

"Blame Edward and Bella. They're the ones who must have skipped the safe sex lectures in health class…"

_Oh, ew! Don't give me that mental image._

Jacob made a grossed-out face at me and I burst out laughing.

In the blue-green waves, Nahuel and Leah splashed and he leaned in to kiss her. _About time,_ I thought.

"You're telling me," said Jacob. "Life's about to get so much more pleasant."  
_What are you going to do about the pack, though? I mean, the Clearwaters are imprinted on Brazilians._ _Then Quil's with Claire, back in Forks, and you and me…_

"And Embry, who's starting to feel a bit testy about the whole thing."

_He must imprint soon. It seems like that myth is going for one hundred percent._

"He's alright, anyway. Not like Leah was," said Jacob.

_I wonder about the imprinting, though. Maybe it's not for reproduction, or having stronger wolf genes, because I thought Leah couldn't have children._

"Yeah…" Jacob mused. He clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back; I admired his muscled arms. "Maybe, being a strong half-vampire and all, that means Nahuel has super-strong… erm…"

I laughed out loud. "Stop right there!"

"I'll say no more."

We fell into a comfortable silence. I stared up into the blue sky; I could feel Jacob's eyes on my face.

_Jake?_

"Mmm?"

_Do I really smell like a French perfume sugar factory?_

"I love the way you smell. Like sugar and spice and everything nice."

_You sure?_

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Later that day, Jacob told me to get dressed up. I asked him why and he said, "I'm taking you to dinner. And yes, it is a date." He vanished, leaving me to get ready.

I was surprised. He'd never done this before. As I straightened my hair and flung clothing all over my room, unable to decide what to wear, it occurred to me that this was the first time I'd ever been on a real, official date. It made my stomach feel all fluttery. _It's just Jake,_ I admonished myself. _A couple days ago, you were at his side, killing vampires in the jungle. And he's already seen you in a swimsuit. And your underwear._

My rational thoughts didn't do much to reduce my giddy excitement, however. Alice was going to be annoyed that she wasn't here to help me choose my outfit, and Rosalie that she couldn't do my hair, but maybe I just wouldn't tell either of them.

Maybe this would be a special thing between Jacob and me.

In the end I decided on a cobalt blue dress, short and sleeveless, with an Egyptian-style gold mesh necklace made up of shiny interlocking plates. The necklace draped over my throat and shoulders. The hand of Alice was in my choice: while I'd been missing and they'd been waiting in Rio for me, Alice had apparently gone shopping for clothes for me, perhaps thinking that she wouldn't foresee her purchases if I wasn't coming back. And she'd foreseen this sci-fi style necklace at a jeweler.

I pulled on a pair of strappy sandals and dashed through to the other room, where Alice could have opened a clothing store with her purchases. I found a snakeskin clutch to carry my wallet and room card key and, of course, my cell phone. I was grateful to be back under the umbrella of wireless reception.

There was a knock on the door – Jacob. I took a last look in the mirror and almost didn't recognize the woman there. She was tall, graceful, with glossy red curls tumbled over one shoulder, sparkling eyes framed with black lashes, a coral mouth turned up in a subtle smile. For so long I'd been thinking of myself as a little girl, and I had been. _I'm grown up,_ I thought, and it was a strange realization. Flipping my hair back, I dashed to open the door.

And was left speechless.

Who was this man before me, with a shock of ink-black hair, with skin the color of burnished copper, with the radiant white smile and snapping eyes? It wasn't often that I felt physically weak, but I did now. My hands tingled and my stomach turned over and my legs felt all melted.

His smile got wider, but he did not move; it was too much to hope that I was having the same effect upon him. We stood there grinning like idiots at one another, and then Jacob finally moved.

"Hi, Ness."

"Hi, Jake."

That broke the spell of worship and he grabbed my hand. "You look gorgeous."

_So do you! You clean up nice, wolf. _I noticed for the first time his gray silk suit and dark blue tie. Alice's doing, undoubtedly. I just wondered how she'd got Jacob's measurements.

His rich laugh echoed down the hallway. "I think you'll like where we're going."

_Where are we going?_

"You'll see." He stopped and swung his face toward mine conspiratorially. "And you should probably speak aloud. Otherwise people will think I'm talking to myself instead of talking to the drop-dead gorgeous girl on my arm. And that would be a scandal."

I giggled. _I'll try. No guarantees, though. You make it hard for me to put some things into words._

"You have no idea," said Jacob, laughing again. "Come on."

Downstairs we walked through the glittering lobby, attracting stares (mostly, I suspected, because of Jacob's height) and found a long black town car waiting for us with a chauffeur. "Wow, Jake. You've gone all out."

"It's your first date. I need to make it really good."

I leaned up to kiss his cheek. My lips lingered and I thought, _It already is._

The driver got out and opened the door; I exclaimed, "Fernando!" and grabbed his hand, giving it a hearty shake, remembering not to crunch any bones.

"M-Miss Cullen? You are returned?" The driver's face looked even more serious than I remembered.

"Thank you so much. You told my family where I'd gone – it was just a big misunderstanding. I'm so sorry to have frightened all of you like that."

He nodded up at Jacob. "Now he take care of you."

"Yes, he will."

"Good," said Fernando, nodding with gravity. "He will do a good job. He is big."

This made me giggle. "Thank you again."

"It is just my job, miss." Fernando left the door open for us and walked back to the driver's seat.

Jacob handed me into the car and I looked back at him, a little confused. I was a half-vampire who could tear the car apart… and yet he treated me like a fragile flower. I liked it. It made me think that maybe he wanted to take care of me. That I was a woman in his eyes.

His smirk confirmed my thought. "It _is_ a date, remember?" His thumb brushed against my hand. "Ness."

Fernando drove us down streets lined with palm trees and mansions, shops and restaurants, glass windows that sparkled under the streetlamps in the darkening dusk. We pulled up to a restaurant overlooking the beach. Two huge bowls flanked the sides of the door, and an antique-looking bell was hung above. Jacob got out first, then held out his hand for me. Feeling impossibly elegant, I swung my legs out, but then straightened up too fast; I couldn't help my excitement.

"It's what they call a _churrascaria_," said Jacob. "Meat!"

"Meat!" I repeated, grinning, remembering to answer him aloud.

I wasn't much for human food, but barbeque I could handle.

The interior of the restaurant was eclectic, elegant, dim, and the people were dressed as we were, in bright cocktail dresses and tailored suits. The air was smoky with the aroma of cooking meat, and filled with the sizzling sound of juices dripping onto open flames, with the clink of glasses and the murmur of conversation another layer, and finally the joyful notes of samba music, playing low over an excellent sound system.

We were shown to an intimate corner table and I set my bag on the shelf behind me. The centerpiece pair of dripping candles leaned towards one another like lovers. I leaned towards Jacob. "Thank you," I said.

"You haven't even eaten yet!"

"I know. But still. Thank you."

He gave me a smile, gentle this time. "You're welcome. But it's kinda selfish, too – I've eaten everything on the Cipriani menu and good as it is, I need some serious steak."

I laughed. "What, the giant rat you ate out in the jungle wasn't enough for your delicate tastebuds?"

The waiter, who'd approached our table, looked at me like I was insane.

I touched Jacob's hand, resting on the corner of the table, and thought, _And you told me to speak my thoughts out loud._

Jake ordered the full barbeque selection for the both of us, and steaks extra-rare. "I want them to be practically alive," he instructed the waiter, who nodded with approval. I squealed happily when the waiter was gone. I hadn't eaten anything bloody since before we went out to the facility.

The facility. I knew my face had changed and that Jacob saw it. I didn't want to darken the mood but I couldn't help thinking about my parents back out there, and poor Carlisle, and the two human women enduring any kind of agony. Death, or transformation, although what the difference was, I wasn't sure. The babies must have been born by now; it had been five days. And the women must have chosen to turn to vampires, otherwise my family and the Denalis would have been back in Rio by now. I hoped they were okay.

I didn't need to touch Jacob for him to know my thoughts. He whispered, "I know it's hard to think about. But it's good we came back. Bella was one thing, but… it would have been hard for the pack to be there, watching as humans were bitten and turned."

I opened my mouth to protest.

"Even by good ones, saving their lives," Jacob said quickly. "I see that it had to be done, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He sighed. "Carlisle Cullen, man. I feel sorry for that guy."

I nodded vigorously. "I'm worried about all of them. Shouldn't they be back soon?"

"Why did you think we took a car instead of walking here? I didn't want Edward to track us down before the main course, in case they're back already." He paused. "We should be just out of range of his 'hearing.'"

I smiled. "But what if he happens to pass by us?"

"We'll have to just keep our thoughts…" Jacob leaned toward me, and his fingers did distractingly wonderful things to the palm of my hand, "… in the moment."

Breathing fast, I stared into Jacob's eyes. Then we were interrupted by the waiter, bringing a bottle of San Pellegrino and a pair of glasses. He poured the sparkling water for us and retreated.

"Besides," I said, as if we'd been in conversation, "I highly doubt my dad would interfere with our nice dinner. He's been surprisingly good about all of this!"

Jacob tilted his head. "You know, you're right. He's just been frowning, not outright saying anything. I think we're winning him over."

"I think _you _are," I said.

"No, it was your inability to survive without yours truly," Jacob said, placing a hand on his chest. "Edward knows that without me…" he took a deep, dramatic sigh, "it's just not worth contemplating."

I brushed my fingers along his knuckle. _And he'd be right._ Aloud I said, "Here, a toast," and took my glass. "To imprinting."

"To Leah imprinting!" Jacob added.

I snorted a laugh and sipped the sparkling water. It danced on my tongue. "The wolf with a bad attitude. Now she's cured."

"And none of us could be happier," said Jacob fervently.

"I'll drink to that."

The waiter brought us a first course of sausages on a bed of sliced fruit, followed by a dizzying array of meats on trays, decorated with gorgeous tropical flowers, and finally the rarest, loveliest, most glistening choice of steaks I'd ever seen. The blood pooled onto my plate, the exterior seared to perfection, the interior a raw bright red. Jacob and I didn't speak much during this time; we were too busy eating.

I paused to say, "Jake, there's only one thing wrong."

He stopped chewing and looked at me, worried.

"After this, I don't see how on earth we're supposed to go back to the cafeteria at Brighton High School."

He swallowed and laughed at me. "It's gonna be difficult, that's for sure."

"I don't feel like a high schooler right now."

"I don't think you _are_ a high schooler right now."

When my steak was reduced to a swirl of blood on the plate, and Jacob was finally full, we leaned back and looked at one another. His arm extended out and I met his hand with my own; our fingers locked together. His skin was smooth on the back, calloused on the palms, rough and soft at the same time.

I was hyper-aware of our touch, of the warm current that seemed to flow from where his hand held mine. Feeling bold, I swung my legs toward him, out from beneath the tablecloth, so he could see my knees.

A faint smile moved his lips and his eyes flickered down.

It was the strangest feeling, but that he could see my knees was electric, as if he was touching them. His eyes and his mind were focused on me, and the growing smile on his face made me flush, knowing he could hear my wild thoughts.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

_Yes. Yes._

After he paid the bill and we were outside, Jacob suggested that we walk back. After all, we could see the hotel from here, down the long crescent curve of the white beach. We took off our shoes to walk in the sand. He fixed my hand into the crook of his elbow.

We didn't speak. The energy between us couldn't be named. I didn't care about anything else except Jacob, and I had the sudden urge to race down the beach, to be alone with him. A series of half-formed desires flashed across my mind.

Nervous, I glanced at Jacob.

He wasn't looking at me, but I could see the bright burning in his eyes as he stared straight ahead.

For two people who were immortal, the walk back seemed to take _forever_. The tension was so thick I was about to scream and then, finally, we were in the elevator. But, of course, there was a man to push the buttons for us. We weren't alone. I looked up into Jacob's eyes pleadingly. His fingers made trails down my arms.

I swiped the keycard to my room so fast that it was a blur. We rushed into the room and by the time the door swung shut behind us, we were in a passionate clinch, kissing madly. I was so caught up in the way Jake's lips moved against mine that I didn't notice someone in the darkened room, standing in the open door to the suite's balcony.

Jacob noticed first and he dropped away from me, tensing. "Oh, you."

It was my father, arms crossed.


	25. Choice

**Author's Notes: **YES, this is the last chapter in our Nessie saga… it is done! Soooo many thanks to everyone who's been reading, and special shout-outs to all my lovely wonderful reviewers: _tooki13, xAlexisMariex, Hannah303, MayHopeCullen, lena m., roxanne phair, Aiyami Sakura, FLORA – AN ANGEL, evelyn-shaye, TeenyTinyGirl, Sassy1515, mysteryfan09, NessieR. C. Cullen 888, Miamore, luv2beloved, Ariana Jade, ConradKCat, StarkLuverAllTheWay, mwjen, midtwilight, AriannaKing, SummerFeally, Lus-In, Renesmee is Awesome, MrsTaylorLautner.X, WannaBeStephenieM, BroadwayGlory, NicoleBelikov, Span, _and _x-rayLady_! You are all awesome :-)

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight saga and all characters therein are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

_Choice_

"We're back," said Edward. His face was calm, but his eyes glinted with satisfaction at having interrupted us.

My thoughts were incoherent with annoyance for a few seconds, but then I regained my faculties. It was a lot easier to think straight when Jacob wasn't kissing me. _Hi, Dad,_ I thought, and stepped forward to give him a quick hug.

"How'd it go?" Jacob asked. "Is everyone back?"

"Everyone's here," said Edward. "They're in the next room."

I held Jacob's hand. _I guess we should…_

"Yeah," he agreed.

I gave him a regretful look. _Later…_

He winked at me.

My family was indeed returned, all of them. A pile of suitcases sat in the middle of the room, next to the glass coffee table. Every minute or so, Alice added a new one.

"Jeez, Shortie, how much shopping did you _do_?" Jacob asked.

I waved to the three Denalis, and gave hugs to my mom, then to Esme, Jasper, Carlisle… I paused. "Where's Rose and Emmett?"

Edward, lips pressed together, jerked his head in the direction of one of the bedrooms.

"Huh?"

Then I heard it, the low drumming of a familiar sound. The heartbeat of a half-vampire. The scent was new.

"Okay, what's going on?" said Jacob, his voice laced with suspicion. "What's she done?"

Carlisle and Edward shared an uncomfortable look.

"Someone had to take him," said Bella.

"He has no other home!" Esme pleaded.

"I think we'd better explain," said Tanya. "After you all left, we tore down the buildings, smashed the computer and the lab, the office, everything. The two humans were deteriorating, but we were able to keep them alive until it was time."

Jacob winced and glanced at Bella. He must have been remembering the lead-up to my birth. I could tell from the pained look on Edward's face that they were all thinking about it. I dug my toe into the carpet and felt guilty.

Edward glanced up at me and his face softened; he shook his head imperceptibly.

"When it became obvious that they wouldn't live much longer, we decided to offer them their options."

_Options. Live or die._ I glanced at Carlisle. He looked… shell-shocked, for want of a better term. His eyes were focused on some point above all of our heads. To me he looked like he was trying very hard not to think about something.

Tanya said, "We explained as best we could. That living would mean three days of pure agony, then the immortal life. That dying, we wouldn't judge them or blame them."

"And?" Jacob said tersely.

"One of the women wanted to be turned. The other wanted to die," said Tanya. "The one who wanted to die, we put her under general anesthesia so she wouldn't feel it when the… when the baby was born."

I gripped Bella's hand, feeling woozy.

"The other one, I helped through the labor and then I bit her. Turned her. She woke up yesterday." Tanya looked slightly proud. "She and her daughter have gone off on their own. She was from the mountains, the Andes; I think she's going to live there and raise the child."

"So you did alright?" I asked Tanya. "Your first?"

"She did great!" Kate interjected. "Now we just need to find her a man."

"Psh, no. It's just in case. I don't anticipate settling down with one man any time soon." Tanya tossed her hair.

"So… who's in there?" Jacob asked, pointing at the closed door.

"That's the thing…" said Edward. "You know how Rosalie is about babies."

Esme said, "And there was a baby boy, utterly adorable, dead mother…"

"Venomous…"

"Immortal…"

"Oh, no. She didn't," Jacob said, hearty with the appreciation of Rosalie's obsession.

"She did," said Edward tightly.

"She did," Alice echoed, her brow clenched with annoyance.

"Wait, why are you upset?" I asked her.

Alice threw up her hands. "Because it's one more person I can't _see!_" she almost shrieked. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to stop predicting anything except the stock market. It's just gotten too crazy for me."

"And what have they named the bundle of joy?" Jacob asked.

"They're discussing it now," said Edward. "They're arguing between Hunter and Henry."

Alice said, "I can't even tell what they're going to name it. It's too much."

I had to agree with Alice. This was too much change for me. I regretted ever freaking out and being jealous and ruining Christmas. If only I'd stayed put in Rochester, our family would still be normal. I'd be getting ready to go back to high school.

"You're still going back to high school," said Edward to me.

"Drats."

"So, our flight home is tomorrow morning," said Bella, picking up a pile of papers. "School starts on Monday."

I stared. Was she insane? I couldn't think about school right now! I needed time to adjust!

Alice smiled at Carlisle suddenly. "Have a nice time," she said. "They won't mind."

We waited to be enlightened. But just then, Edward said, "They've decided," and the door opened and Rosalie walked in, followed by Emmett. Rosalie had a tiny bundle in her arms. I'd never seen her look so happy.

"Everyone, this is Henry," she said. She held him up for all to see. I was shocked to see that he had fair hair and warm brown eyes. He looked like he could be their child.

"Middle name Hunter," Emmett added. "Jazz, you owe me thirty bucks."

Rosalie cooed at the baby.

"He's adorable, Rose," said Bella.

"A little angel," said Esme, holding the baby's tiny hand.

"He's cute," Alice admitted.

Jasper was looking like he regretted ever joining the Cullen family.

"Henry really likes you, Rose," said Edward.

"Is he talented?" I asked.

"I'm going to teach him how to wrestle alligators," Emmett answered.

"Oh, okay, then," I said, laughing.

Jacob just looked dubiously at Henry, and then rolled his eyes at Rosalie. "Maybe she'll be nicer to me now that she has her own baby monster," he said in an undertone.

"Don't count on it," Rosalie said happily, tickling Henry's head with her finger.

"So," said Jacob, all hope of a truce gone, "this pretty much makes you… a high school teen mother. You going to drop out of school now?"

Rosalie glared at him. "I am well over one hundred years old, dog."

"Not according to the State of New York."

"As far as they know, Emmett and I will be transferring away."

"Dare I dream?" Jacob said. "You won't be living with us anymore?"

"_Us_? They were my family long before we adopted you from the animal shelter."

"Guys, seriously," said Bella.

Rosalie and Emmett went back into their room to feed the new child. Reeling, I sought Jacob's hand. Alice stacked the last suitcase and asked Jasper if he wanted to go for a walk, saying it was the only thing she felt like foreseeing at the moment: their hike up to the famous Jesus statue overlooking the city. Alice dangled her digital camera off her wrist.

"Alice, before you go," said Carlisle. He beckoned to Esme. "No offense to any of you, I love you all… but I… I just need a break. I'm taking a vacation." He took Esme's hand. "We're going to our island, and staying there for three weeks, and I will _not_ be answering the phone."

We were all surprised – except Edward and Alice, of course – and waited for Carlisle to change his mind. But his jaw was set and his normally compassionate eyes a little wild.

_Poor Carlisle,_ I thought. _He looks like he needs a break_.

"We'll be back soon," Esme assured us.

Carlisle grabbed their two suitcases and said, "See you all later," and then swept Esme out of the suite with him, muttering something about "peace."

* * *

"Excuse me? Nessa?"

I closed my eyes against the view: a yellow-painted hallway packed with humans, the swinging of lockers, the laminated wooden doors open to classrooms. I turned. "Nessie," I corrected.

"Sorry, Nessie," said Abby Ullman. "Um…"

I waited. She wore a bright red spring dress – a little optimistic, since it was raining outside. Her gold hoops were firmly fixed in her ears and her fair hair was piled into a high ponytail. Lots of guys stopped to stare at her as they passed.

I knew what Jacob – and my dad – would accuse, that the boys were actually looking at me.

"Listen, I know that you and Jake are kind of an item now. I mean, the whole school knows it. And Jake's my friend, so… I guess that means that I'm having a party for the end of the school year, and you can come. If you want to." Her lips were pursed as if she hoped I wouldn't want to.

"Wow, thanks, Abby!" I said. I was noncommittal in case Alice wanted to play dress-up with me and force me into high school activities. I would hate to deny her. "Maybe I will."

Abby's eyebrows crinkled. "Do you know for sure?"

"It's not an RSVP thing, is it? Because I can have an answer for you next week." I raised my chin slightly. She would be so lucky to have vampires and werewolves at her dumb party.

"No, no, totally casual. In fact, it'll probably be boring. See ya," she said, flouncing off and disappearing in the crowd.

I snickered as I walked out the door. We were having distinguished company for dinner and I needed to change clothes, but there was still time to hang out with Jacob for a few hours after school.

Out in the parking lot, standing tall beneath umbrellas, I found my family: Edward, his arm around Bella, and Jasper and Alice, all next to the silver Volvo. As they'd promised, Rosalie and Emmett had moved to their cabin in the mountains with baby Henry, much to Jacob's delight. They visited us every weekend.

"I'm going to ride with Jake, 'kay?" I said, mostly to Edward.

"You'll get your hair wet," said Bella. "We're having company tonight."

"I know. I'll be ready on time."

"Okay, sweetie." She ruffled my hair.

My family drove off in the Volvo and then I was where I belonged: on the back of Jacob's motorcycle, clinging to him (rather unnecessarily, given my excellent balance), the rain flying into my face, splashing against my impervious cheeks.

I knew that Jacob was torn between wanting to race Edward home, and wanting to extend the time that we had. When he turned off the main route, I knew that we were going for a ride; I smelled the lake. We ended up at a dock at the end of a long, narrow, calm beach. There was a gravel parking lot, empty of cars on this rainy day, and it had the look of a lover's lane.

We walked hand-in-hand out to the end of the dock. The boards were weathered and springy, and water lapped up against the pillars, slimy with moss. A slight breeze sent the rain at an angle.

_Almost like First Beach,_ I thought.

"Almost," Jacob murmured.

Except it wasn't. The dynamics of the pack, so complicated now with imprintees flung across the continents and the inconvenience of my unchanging family… _Have you decided what to do?_ Jake's decision would be final, of course. He was Alpha.

"Yeah, I have." He spun me to face him and pulled me close. "I think you'll like it."

_Mmm, really?_ I liked the way he was holding me, that was for sure.

"Aylen and Nahuel will be living on the rez back home," said Jacob, "but that still leaves us here. There's no getting around that one. So, I'm going to order everybody – the whole pack – to come with us this summer. Back to Brazil."

_Ah, Brazil!_

"Bells is already shopping for real estate, a place big enough for the whole pack to stay. I think it's important you learn from Zafrina how to project your thoughts, because that would be kind of awesome."

_It would be…_ I thought of the possibilities. It would be like a Jedi mind trick. I could plant suggestions in people's heads…

"You already do that with me," Jacob teased.

_I try._ I leaned up and grazed my lips down his jaw.

He let out a tiny sigh. "Ness… Okay, really, you haven't heard the rest, stop it!"

Laughing, I stopped.

"But this is just for the summer. It'll be good for everybody to see the rainforest, and hunt giant snakes, and all that. Like a vacation. Then you and I come back here for one more year – don't give me that look, you have to finish high school, and so do I, for that matter – and then…"

_Then what?_

He stepped back so that he could look into my eyes, long and hard. "Then… we move back to Forks. Just you and me. Ness, we need some time to ourselves. Time away from your family. Is that okay?"

_My crazy family_. After next year, they were moving to the family house in Dartmouth, where my mother was finally going to do her degree in English Literature. I'd just assumed I'd be going with them, and Jacob… but the two of us, leaving them, going off on our own, back to Forks? I winced, thinking how hard the family separation had been during my ill-starred South American adventure. And it would have been much harder to think about if I didn't know that we had eternity… or at least a very long time. Then it occurred to me. _You haven't run this by Edward, have you._

"I've… avoided thinking about it in his presence, yeah."  
_He's gonna have kittens._

Jacob barked out a laugh. "I can't wait."

_He won't let us do it. He'll make us get married first._

"I already have a solution to that."

Oh, no. I took a step backwards. Okay, I loved Jacob. Adored him. Wanted to kiss him. Wanted to wake up every morning in his arms. But a wedding… it just seemed so pointless, like tying a chain around a couple already embracing. I was terrified that marrying Jacob would make me freak out. I needed freedom. I… I tugged on the light scarf around my neck, feeling choked.

"Chill out!" he said, laughing at me. "I'm not saying we should run to the altar, no matter what your dad says. In fact, _my_ brilliant idea is for you to live with Charlie and Sue. They're getting old and could probably use a helping hand around the house."

"Oh!" I said aloud. _Jake, sometimes you have really good ideas._

He placed a hand over his heart. "I do, I really do."

_Then we don't have to get married?_

"Yes, we do. But not until you're ready."

He knew me too well. Once it was back in my hands, I wouldn't feel all stifled and weird about it. _So we won't be attending Dartmouth with my parents?_

Jacob smirked. "Uh, no."

I couldn't imagine that going over well with my father. He wanted me to have a college education. Several, in fact.

"I already thought of that. You – and I – will be attending the University of Washington. Commuting distance… if you're driving fast."

_You've really thought this out, haven't you?_

"That's my job. I am Mighty Chief Jacob."

I giggled. _You need a more Indian-sounding name. Like… Prancing Wolf._

"_Prancing _Wolf!" Jacob yelped, offended. "I don't prance." He swept me up into a hug so tight I couldn't breathe. "You'll pay for that slander," he breathed into my ear, sending shivers across my neck.

_It was worth it,_ I replied with a kiss.

A few kisses later, Jacob dropped me off at home and continued back to his boarding house. Our guests were nervous around him. I jumped up onto the roof and opened my window, entering straight into my bedroom, and peeled off my wet clothes, changing into a buttoned brown silk vest and a floor-skimming blue skirt, both Armani. I blow-dried my hair into long curls and pinned them up. One of the guests was rather traditional and I was under orders not to do anything extreme. For my earrings I chose the sapphire studs from Christmas. My shoes were straight out of Alice's closet of ideas: dark purple Prada flats.

A soft knock sounded on my door. "Renesmee?"

"Come in, Mom."

Bella glided into the room, wearing a dress the color of fresh cream, belted at the waist with a brown sash. "You look pretty!"

"I just do what I'm told," I said, turning up my hands.

She smiled. "How's Jake?"

"Good…"

"I guess he's going with you to South America this summer."

I held my mother's hand. _Yeah, the whole pack is going._

Bella nodded. "That's good. I don't want you to leave – ever – but I know you have to. It's only healthy."

I nodded.

"Your father will take some convincing about the rest."

_The rest?_

"You moving back to Washington after you graduate."

I furrowed my brow, unable to help the quick dart of annoyance that Jacob might have told Bella before he told me…

"No, I just figured it," Bella assured me. "I am your mother, after all. And I understand how difficult it is with your father reading every thought the two of you have for each other." She smirked. "Sometimes I think it's the real reason Edward and I can be so in love. He doesn't annoy me with his mind-reading." She smiled and let our hands drop. "Anyway. Let's go downstairs and get you in place."

Yes, the newborn was coming over, and that meant I had to be in what Jasper called a "defensible position"… in other words, behind the ranks of the family ready to restrain young Nicole. My blood wasn't human, but it was close enough to cause a temptation for her uncontrolled thirst. She was four months into her new life and I knew that she'd already slipped multiple times, feeding on humans… at least she'd managed to restrict herself to criminals, since she was able to read their entire past.

Downstairs, I stood by the fireplace, behind Jasper and Alice on the sofa and between Edward and Bella. "They're almost here," said Edward, listening to the silence.

A few minutes later I heard Carlisle's Mercedes turn into the drive. _This is weird,_ I thought to Edward.

"It's about to get weirder," he said, quirking a smile at me.

Alice giggled, which meant that one of her visions was about to come true.

The car doors opened and closed, the engine cut, light footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs. The front door swung open. My family was inhumanly still, not bothering to put on their façade. My own fingers twitched as my sweet, hot blood thrummed in my veins.

First through the door was Esme, standing aside with a smile on her face, gesturing for the guests to enter.

Then, it was Nicole, her blond hair in a pale frame around her face, her hand resting on the arm of Marcus, who refused to dress in normal clothing and insisted on his old black Volturi cloak.

Carlisle closed the door behind him. "Marcus, Nicole, welcome to our home."

Marcus nodded solemnly. "Thank you, friend." He bowed his head at the rest of us.

"Thank you for having us," Nicole whispered.

"Of course!" Alice leapt up, having had enough restraint. She seized Nicole's free hand; the newborn jerked out of instinct, and Jasper reacted by standing up a little too quickly.

"You would never have worked with us in Volterra," said Marcus sourly, looking down at Alice.

"Please, sit," Carlisle said, waving at Alice to simmer down.

Marcus and Nicole sat on the white sofa; Marcus's motion was liquid smooth, and Nicole's was twitchy and too fast. They were such a contrast and I stared at their fingers, barely touching. Parchment-paper and smooth stone.

_Are they a couple?_ I asked Edward.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. It must be complicated. Perhaps it was more like a mentor and student, or a father and a daughter, or… I didn't even know what. All I could see was the way Marcus looked at Nicole, like she was the answer to some question he'd been afraid to ask. After all, she was the reason he was freed from his bonds to Aro and Caius, and achieved his vengeance. In the vampire world, that was like a life debt.

As for Nicole, every move she made seemed to be with Marcus's permission, and she looked at him with pure adoration.

Carlisle and Marcus chatted for awhile about human culture – Marcus mostly disapproved of it these days – and recent medical discoveries. Alice hummed in contentment, seeing nothing but good ahead of us. Edward let his focus slip and his arm slide around Bella. I seemed to be safe from newborn attack – after all, she was months old now, she wasn't brand new – and I perched on the edge of an armchair.

"How is the house?" Esme asked.

"Drafty," said Marcus.

Esme had found them a lovely old twenties-era lodge house in the Adirondacks. The area was low in humans, rich in wildlife, her way of encouraging the vegetarian lifestyle by making it convenient.

"Once she is trained, we will be returning to Volterra," said Marcus.

"Are you certain that you want to return?" Carlisle said. "No one would blame you if you didn't."

"Despite my memories," said Marcus, keeping his face carefully schooled, "I cannot let the current situation stand."

"Maybe if you redecorated your castle," Esme suggested. "It can make a place look altogether different. Even a simple change of curtains can help."

"I want to show her the place of our power," said Marcus, nodding at Nicole. "She's interested in our histories. Much more will be coming to her in visions. It's important that we be there for the gathering of the vampires. All should hear the true history as I remember it, and as Nicole sees it. Then, we shall see where things take us."

I couldn't help but smile at the sudden infusion of life into Marcus, the way his hand rested protectively on Nicole's arm, the respectful fascination with which she looked up at his ancient face. Maybe all was well that ended well.

Across the room, I met my father's eyes, and he smiled back at me.

* * *

The luggage took up the entire front room. The strains of Edward's piano-playing echoed through the house, notes low and sweet and somehow philosophical. I could hear Bella's hand moving through Edward's hair, nails gentle along his scalp as he played. They'd let Alice do their packing. In fact, Alice had done the packing for all of us.

"Italy," Alice declared, "requires serious fashion. And half the vampire world is going to be in Volterra. We have to represent." She'd been a tornado of energy the past weeks, with loyal Jasper helping her preparations.

While I would be leaving for South America in a few days, the rest of my family would be doing some traveling of their own, to Volterra. To the first political gathering of vampires in the history of vampires. Garrett was in charge of the whole thing, citing his experience of the American Revolution as precedent, and for the past few months the Denalis had traveled the world, spreading word about the Gathering. (Or, as Garrett called it, the Constitutional Convention).

Volterra, meanwhile, would be emptied of humans during the vampire convention. This had been Jacob's idea. "I don't like the idea of all those clueless humans outnumbered by vampires. It's like having a convention of lions around a herd of, like, eight gazelles. Can't you get the humans away? Like your little quarantine cover story about Bella having a weird disease when she was pregnant?"

"Hey, are you calling me a disease?" I'd laughed.

"If you are, I want to catch you," he'd replied.

"Jacob's right." Edward had interrupted our flirtation. "It's dangerous with all the non-vegetarians."

"How about an anthrax outbreak?" I suggested cheerfully.

"A terrorist attack, biological," Jasper had added. "Evacuate the city. Any humans in the vicinity will be in full body suits, no scent, no temptation."

"Okay… so who wants to set this up?" Edward said.

Of course, it had been me: tipping off the Italian police anonymously, hacking into their water control system and altering the testing results, and causing a full-blown panic in the entire north of the country. And I wouldn't even get to see my handiwork on the international news. It was back to the jungle of Brazil for me and the wolf pack.

But, first things first. I had to survive the last day of school: exams in Programming, English, and Calculus.

I rode to school on the back of Jake's motorcycle – he'd stayed the night in the guest room. It had been torture knowing that he was so close, but we were untouchable to each other as long as my father was in the house.

I couldn't wait for Brazil. A whole summer, out from under Edward's watchful eye! Living wild with the wolf pack, and learning from Zafrina! It was going to be awesome. Instead of being the odd one out, I was now part of a constellation of friends and family, bright and unique stars in my life. Werewolves, vampires, hybrids, and even humans: Charlie and Sue, and my friends from the Internet, and Fernando the driver (now in the employ of the Cullen family as a local fixer in Brazil). Newborns, ancient ones, adopted children, soul mates. I liked the pattern of it all. I liked having a place in things.

"Here we are, pretty monster," said Jacob, parking the motorcycle on the street out front of the school. "Ready?"

I swung my helmet off and shook out my hair. "Ready for finals?" I laughed. "Should I show Zuchman what I can really do with a computer?"

Jacob's eyes sparkled as he gazed down at me. "You might scare him to death." He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me against him. "You scare me, too."

"You haven't seen anything yet, mister," I growled, deliberately sending a thought – an image – well, more a fantasy, really – of us in a primitive, stone-hewn jungle hut. Flickering fire torches on the walls. Mosquito netting draped over a large bed. And then, what I wanted Jacob to do to me.

His eyes narrowed as his hands tightened around my waist. "Don't do that," he whispered, his voice breaking roughly. "You'll drive me insane."

I leaned up so my lips were next to the curve of his ear. "What I mean is, I'll marry you. Sooner, not later."

Jacob pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Really?"

"Really. I know what I want. And even though we have forever… well, that doesn't mean we shouldn't live in the moment. After all, the unexpected happens." As I said it, I knew it was true, that I did want to marry Jacob, and soon. Almost losing him had terrified me. Now that I'd had a few months to process things, I felt that it was my conscious choice. Imprinted or not, I loved him. He was my wolf, my Jacob.

And a girl had to be practical. I knew we'd never be able to wait years for each other… and I was done causing drama in the family. By getting married soon, maybe Edward wouldn't have to fight Jacob.

Jake heard this thought and laughed. "We can only hope!"

"End of the summer, then?"

Jacob's answering smile was a ray of sunshine to my heart. "You're on." He leaned down and paused for half a second, hovering inches from my mouth. "I love you, Ness."

"I love you, too," I barely had time to whisper, and then he kissed me.

As we walked into the school together, holding hands, I knew I was ready for whatever came next… with Jacob at my side.

* * *

* * *

**A/N: **_Finis,_ the end, all's well that end's well! Thank you for reading!

I might do a small one-chapter spin-off story about the vampire Gathering in Volterra, maybe from Edward's point of view… we'll see how much time I have this summer. Watch my page for updates!


End file.
